And the boos shall rain down upon thee: Lightning at Canadiens Game Three preview

Game Three: Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1) at Montreal Canadiens (1-1)

Time: 7:00 PM EST

Location: Centre Bell, Montreal, Canada

TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, TNT, HBOMax, truTV, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App

Odds: Lightning -122

Know the Opponents: Habs Eyes on the Prize

There are just certain sports venues that have a little extra energy to them. Notre Dame on a cool October Saturday, Yankee Stadium on a cool October night, Lambeau on a frigid January Sunday. Add Centre Bell in Montreal for a playoff game to that list. The building is going to be an extra level of loud tonight. It’s something that both teams are going to have to deal with as things get underway.

For the first time in a while, the Lightning had a fairly strong road season. Yes, there was a stumble at the end of the year (including a game in Montreal) but for the most part they were able to get to their style of play even when the match-ups weren’t in their favor. If they can continue to do that with all of the dials turned to play-off level and, at the very least, earn a split over the next two games, they’re in a good spot for the series.

The crowd will likely be at their most intense when Brandon Hagel steps on the ice, so expect at least 22 minutes of booing to come across your broadcast means of choice. He’s more than earned it with his play (3 goals, 1 assist) and his post-whistle antics. Lightning fans know that Hagel only plays one way – 100 MPH – but somehow, he’s managed to turn it up another notch in this series.

The heckling from the crowd will get the adrenaline flowing and Hagel will have to make sure not to go too far over the edge. The same can be said for Montreal. They are going to come out jumping with the crowd egging them on. Can they stay in their system or are they going to try and play hero hockey?

The first period is going to be key for both teams. The Lightning have been, for the most part, pretty solid defensively. There have been moments where Montreal has been able to get their cycle game going and spent too much time in the Lightning zone, but the Tampa Bay defenders (and Andrei Vasilevskiy) have limited the damage. More than ever in this series, the Lightning are going to have to be quick with the puck in their own zone and clear the puck when they have the opportunity.

Offensively, they have to keep plugging away and keep getting traffic in front of Jakub Dobes. They made some strides in that department in Game Two, but it still wasn’t enough. The game-winning shot from J.J. Moser came through a screen, Nikita Kucherov’s goal was the result of a deflection from in front of Dobes that had him out of position. That’s the type of action they need to get in the zone.

In the third period, they picked up their forecheck game, especially when Nikita Kucherov was on the ice. Montreal struggled to get the puck out with the pressure (Slafkovsky turning the puck over to Hagel on Kucherov’s goal, Kirby Dach icing the puck in overtime) and, in their coach’s words, lost a little of their poise.

Pressure in playoff series is an interesting thing. Coaches and players won’t talk about it. It’s not something that can be measured, and it’s usually only spoken about when teams lose. Yet, it feels like a real thing. The Lightning are fighting the pressure that comes with three straight first-round exits and having home ice. In Game Two they had the added emphasis of not wanting to lose both home games.

Now some of that pressure moves onto Montreal’s shoulders. They are playing in front of their home crowd. Their top line hasn’t performed to their expectations so you know they are going to be pressing. Josh Anderson is going to do Josh Anderson things to keep the crowd going. Last season they dropped their first two games in Washington but came back to beat the Capitals 6-3 in Game Three. They scored twice in the first period, including just 3:20 into the game.

If the Lightning can take the crowd out of the game early, it will help. A goal would be nice, but dictating play by not allowing Montreal to build chance after chance would be the best way to do it. Oh yeah, stay out of the penalty box as well. Penalties (normally aggressive or over aggressive) will not help their play. They can stand up for themselves without taking the extra two minutes. Montreal is going to come after them, the Lightning can’t take the bait.

Roster / Injury Updates:

The Lightning made an expected move on Thursday as they reassigned Brandon Halverson to Syracuse. With the Crunch getting their playoffs started in Cleveland today, there was no doubt he would head back to the team. In his place Harrison Meneghin was recalled to serve as the third goaltender.

It’s been a roller coaster year for the 21-year-old who was leading the Medicine Hat Tigers to a Memorial Cup Final run this time last season. After signing his entry-level contract he spent most of the season in Orlando posting a 4-9-0 record with a 3.26 GAA and .889 SV%. He did get into one game with Syracuse, playing 13 minutes and stopping one of two shots he faced. He’ll end the season getting some valuable practice time with the Lightning.

Both Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Victor Hedman were skating at practice, though they weren’t participating in the full-team session. Hedman has been labeled as “doubtful” for the series while D’Astous doesn’t have an exact timeline.

Potential Lines

Tampa Bay Lightning

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Montreal Canadiens

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