Lightning take 3-0 finals lead with win at Montreal

[July 03, 2021]  The Tampa Bay Lightning are one win away from their second consecutive Stanley Cup title and the third crown in franchise history.

For a twist, they have a chance to seal the title with a sweep of the Montreal Canadiens.

The Lightning moved to the verge of history by claiming a 6-3 victory on Friday to put them ahead 3-0 in the best-of-seven series.

"I know how fun it was last year when we won," said Lightning forward Tyler Johnson, who paced the attack on Friday with a pair of goals. "I want to do that again."

Tampa Bay will look to close out the series Monday in Montreal.

The Lightning, who have never trailed in a game during this series and have outscored the Canadiens by a 14-5 count, put together another strong offensive performance. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman both collected one goal and one assist, Jan Rutta and Blake Coleman also scored, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves.

Phillip Danault, Nick Suzuki and Corey Perry replied for the Canadiens, whose coach Dominique Ducharme was behind the bench for the first time since leaving early in the third round to battle COVID-19. Goalie Carey Price stopped 24 shots.

While the talk in the coming days will be about Tampa Bay completing the first Stanley Cup Final sweep since the Detroit Red Wings beat the Washington Capitals in 1998, the Lightning are just looking for one more victory.

"The Stanley Cup is enough motivation for us as a hockey player," Hedman said. "What we did last year in the bubble was special. You want to re-live that moment. But at the end of the day, we're not there yet."

Still, it will take an amazing turnaround for the Canadiens to join the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs as the only team to erase a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.

"We're in a hole. It goes without saying," Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher said. "But I can promise you one thing about this group, there won't be any quit. Every single guy is going to show up, and that belief we've talked about all year isn't going anywhere. Win Game 4 and go from there."

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) reacts after giving up a goal to Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta (not pictured) during the first period in game three of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

After dropping the first two games in Tampa, the Canadiens had high hopes that the return home, even with only 3,500 fans in attendance, would give them the push to get back in the series.

Instead, Rutta and Hedman scored 95 seconds apart to put the visitors ahead 2-0 at the 3:27 mark. Danault put the hosts on the board in the middle of the opening frame, but the second period told the same tale as the first.

Kucherov scored at 1:40 of the middle frame -- his 127th career playoff point, which put him ahead of Maurice Richard and tied him with Yvan Cournoyer, Luc Robitaille and Patrick Marleau for 48th on the NHL's all-time list -- and Johnson netted his first of the game 113 seconds later.

Suzuki scored for Montreal late in the second period, but Johnson buried his own rebound with 4:41 left in regulation to make it 5-2. Perry and Coleman traded late goals while the Montreal net was empty.

The Canadiens, who haven't been swept in a Final since losing to the Detroit Red Wings in 1952, believe they can get back in the fight.

"We don't have a choice," Price said. "We've overcome adversity all season long. Our backs are against the wall, so we've got to start bringing our best."

Added Gallagher: "The positives are this team has been in many holes and this team has been doubted, but the character in that locker room isn't going anywhere. We're going to keep competing."

--Field Level Media

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