Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
The Tampa Bay Lightning didn't have much time to rest, as their second round series with the Montreal Canadiens gets started tonight at the Bell Centre. This comes only two nights after the Bolts dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in Game Seven at Amalie Arena. The turnaround is quick, but perhaps that benefits a Tampa Bay squad that will be looking to build on two straight elimination game victories.
As mentioned in last night’s blog, this matchup between the Lightning and Canadiens is the one that every member of Bolts Nation was hoping for when the season started. The yearning for this stems from the fact that the Canadiens swept the Lightning in last year’s first round. Revenge is a dish best served on the ice.
While some casual fans might be tempted to look back on that four-game sweep and use it as a predictor this time around, it’s worth noting that a lot has changed in the last year. For starters, the Lightning have a National Hockey League-quality goaltender in net this time around. To put it bluntly, Anders Lindback was bad last year. Bishop, on the other hand, has looked generally solid through seven games in this playoff season; he’s had shaky moments, but he settled in nicely when the pressure was on in Game Seven against Detroit. No, Bishop isn’t Carey Price, but he is a huge upgrade on Lindback.
Secondly, the Lightning now have some experience under their belt. This team, and specifically its young core, has grown a lot since last year’s sweep. As Tampa head coach Jon Cooper put it last night:
Jon Cooper on winning a round after being swept in '14: "We dipped our toes in the water last year. This year we get to jump in the pool"
— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) April 30, 2015Still, it would be foolish for the Lightning to take this Canadiens squad lightly. While Price undoubtedly deserves credit for most of their wins, the fact of the matter remains that Montreal finished above Tampa in the standings for a reason. This is a team that knows how to win, and one that knows how to win at this time of year. Their offense has struggled for the past while, but offense isn't how you beat the Tampa Bay Lightning. You beat the Tampa Bay Lightning by preventing them from scoring. If there's anything Carey Price knows how to do, it's that.
Specific to this first game, and as of writing time, no lineup decisions have been announced. Does Jonathan Drouin get to play? Does Cooper go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen? These are questions that will remain unanswered until later.
One thing we know for sure, though, is that the Canadiens aren’t viewing the Bolts lightly. Their coach, Michel Therrien, is already framing his team as the underdog, and made sure to note that the Lightning are “the best offensive team in the league.… You can bet that he’ll have his skaters ready to go when the puck drops. If the regular season series between these two clubs has any predictive value, they’ll have to be ready; Tampa went 5-0-0 against Montreal this year, with three of those wins coming in March.
With that said, the pressure is certainly on Montreal tonight. Tampa is the road team in this series. The Canadiens have home-ice advantage, and are expected to 'hold serve' as a result. The Bolts can lose a game in Montreal early on without being any worse for wear, or they can steal a win and look great. Neither option spells the end of the world. Simply put, the end result tonight won’t make or break the group’s season. All they should be looking to do is play their game. If that happens, the results will come.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.