The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to host the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay will be trying to reverse some negative trends. The Lightning are 0-5 in Game 2 dating to the 2022 Eastern Conference Final. This includes first round exits in the past three seasons.
Lightning’s Home Playoff Struggles
Following their 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 on Sunday, the Lightning’s home record in the Stanley Cup Playoffs stands at 2-10 in their past 12 games.
Forward Brandon Hagel acknowledged the statistic, saying, “Yeah, that’s not a very good look, but at the end of the day that’s just a stat. There is a different group that comes in here every single year. You can’t really put that in the back of your head.”
Canadiens Aim for 2-0 Series Lead
The Canadiens are aiming for their first 2-0 series lead since the second round of the 2021 playoffs. At that time they swept the Winnipeg Jets en route to the Stanley Cup Final, where they suffered a five-game loss to the Lightning.
Montreal has a strong Game 2 record, standing at 82-43 all time, a .656 winning percentage. The only team in NHL history with a better winning percentage is the Columbus Blue Jackets (5-2, .714).
Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle anticipates a strong response from the Lightning. “I expect them to come out hard,” Guhle said. “They’re probably not too happy about (Game 1) and they are going to want that one.”
Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-7 series go on to win the series 68 percent of the time (535-252). That increases to 86.1 percent for teams that take a 2-0 lead (360-58), including 80.4 percent (90-22) when starting on the road.
Offensive Adjustments Needed
Both teams are focused on improving their 5-on-5 play. In Game 1, only two of the seven goals were scored at even strength, one for each team.
Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who scored 51 goals this season, registered two shots on goal, both on the power play. Captain Nick Suzuki, who had 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists), did not have a shot on goal. The Canadiens had more shots on goal on the power play (10), than at even strength (nine). Only one Lightning forward, Nikita Kucherov, had more than one 5-on-5 shot on goal (four).
Caufield commented on the tight nature of the game. “I think that’s just the way the games are played,” Caufield said. “It’s pretty tight. I think there’s a lot of talk about 5-on-5 that we can do better at.”
“We’re going to have to figure it out. In the first game, it’s a feeling-out process. They don’t want to give up too much, so we’re going to find ways to find the answers.”
Discipline is Key for Tampa Bay
The Lightning conceded six power plays to the Canadiens in Game 1, resulting in three goals, including one to Juraj Slafkovsky at 1:22 of overtime. Staying out the box is paramount for the Lightning.
The Canadiens would like to return to Bell Centre on Friday with a 2-0 lead.