The Tampa Bay Lightning moved ever closer to a second consecutive NHL title after recording a thrilling 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Blake Coleman spearheaded the Lightning, who now hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
After suffering a 5-1 blowout loss in Game 1, the Canadiens went quickly on the offensive in Game 2, knowing how important it is to head back to Montreal with the series tied.
Before Wednesday's Game 2, teams that had taken a 2-0 series lead in the Finals went on to win the Stanley Cup 46 out of 51 times. The Lightning, for that matter, have won all eight of their previous best-of-seven series, where they have taken a 2-0 advantage.
Vasilevskiy stands tall in Tampa Bay win
Unfortunately for the Habs, they ran into a brick wall that is Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning goaltender was simply sensational in the Game 2 win, stopping all but one of Montreal's 43 shot attempts.
It was Vasilevskiy's sixth game in the playoffs with at least 40 saves for the Lightning. Through the first two games of the series, Vasilevskiy has compiled a .968 save percentage, with the 26-year-old stopping 60 of the Canadiens' 62 shots.
The game swung in Tampa Bay's favor late in the second period after Blake Coleman scored an improbable buzzer-beater. Coleman started the late counter-attack with a bump on Phillip Danault, forcing the latter to turn the puck over to Tampa Bay's Barclay Goodrow.
With time winding down and his teammates egging him on, Goodrow resisted the urge to shoot and instead delivered a perfect aerial pass to Coleman, who dove past Danault and knocked the puck past Montreal goalie Carey Price to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead entering the third period.
The Lightning then doubled their advantage at 15:42 of the third period after an error by Montreal defenseman Joel Edmundson. He turned over the puck behind the net, with Ondrej Palat pouncing for an unassisted goal.
Related Article: 2021 Stanley Cup Final: Kucherov Makes History as Lightning Thrash Canadiens in Game 1
Gut-wrenching defeat for Montreal
It was a disappointing loss for the Canadiens, who outshot the Lightning 43 to 23 in Game 2. Tampa Bay's minus-20 shot differential is the second-largest negative differential by a team who won a Cup Finals game by multiple goals since 1960.
Apart from Vasilevskiy's game-long brilliance, what proved to be the difference for Tampa Bay in Game 2 was its depth. The three goals they scored on Wednesday came from three different lines, with all of those goals coming at even strength. The Lightning pulled off the win even though they went 0-for-3 in their power play opportunities.
As the series shifts to Montreal for Game 3, it's critical for the Canadiens to strike first in that contest. Even though they dominated in terms of shot attempts in Game 2, Tampa Bay again drew first blood, with Anthony Cirelli scoring the opener at 6:40 of the second period. The Lightning are excellent frontrunners as they improved to 14-2 in these playoffs when scoring first.
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