Montreal Canadiens: Five Takeaways Following Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final

The Montreal Canadiens seem to thrive when their backs are against the wall. They were 3-0 in must-win games in these playoffs heading into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. They were able to improve that record to 4-0 with a 3-2 overtime win at home.

The Canadiens got a terrific performance from Carey Price and Josh Anderson and forced a Game 5 in Tampa Bay on Wednesday night. Here are the five takeaways from Game 4, with four positive ones and just one negative.

1. Scoring the Game’s First Goal – Positive

One of the major reasons for success for the Canadiens during this postseason has been their ability to score first and then win the game. For the first time in this series, Montreal was able to score first on a beautiful pass from Nick Suzuki to Josh Anderson.

Despite not playing great for the first ten minutes of the game, the team was able to withstand the Tampa Bay attack. At one point the shots were 11-1 in favour of the Lightning, but when the Canadiens struck first, you could see the nerves fade away and they were able to settle into their game.

It was also the first lead for the Bleu Blanc et Rouge all series, which ultimately led to their first win. It is clear that if the Canadiens can score first they are a very tough team to play against and that is why a good start to Game 5 will be a huge focal point.

2. Ducharme Makes The Right Changes – Positive

Speaking of Josh Anderson, he was bumped up from his line with Paul Byron to the scoring line with Suzuki and Cole Caufield. That was one of the many moves made by Dominique Ducharme ahead of Game 4. Not only did he juggle the top three lines, but he added three players into the lineup. Alex Romanov – who scored his first career NHL playoff goal – and Brett Kulak came in for Jon Merrill and Eric Gustafsson. Jake Evans also replaced Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The first two moves were something that Canadiens fans had been asking for some time. Romanov is part of the future and he did a fantastic job in laying out the body. Kulak, on the other hand, is a much better skater than both Merrill and Gustafsson, and although he did not receive an assist on the first goal, he was a key contributor. The Kotkaniemi move was a bit of a head-scratcher, but his play had faltered and Evans provides a bit more help especially on the PK. He also contributed with a primary assist on the Romanov goal.

There is no question that the roster will stay the same for Game 5 following a win. Romanov looked great, Kulak played strong beside one mistake that led to a Lightning goal, and Evans provided a nice boost on the checking line and on the PK. Big marks to the Canadiens coaching staff for their roster decisions, which ended up paying huge dividends.

3. Carey Price Asserted Himself Into The Series – Positive

As mentioned in my takeaways from Game 3, Carey Price had looked shaky in the first three games. However, he responded with a stellar performance in a do-or-die Game 4. Price was locked in from puck drop. This was incredibly important not only because of what was on the line but because the team came out slow and sluggish.

He stopped the first 11 shots when the Lightning were pressuring the Canadiens and keeping the puck in their zone. Price seems to get more locked in when his team is facing elimination, as he stopped 32 out of 34 shots for the big win.

He improves to 4-0 in elimination games and will need to have another stellar performance in Game 5 to extend the series.

4. Turnovers Leading To Lightning Goals -Negative

Talk about a bad turnover stat.

The Canadiens seem to have had a lot of bad bounces in the first three games. Yes, they benefitted from the Lightning hitting three posts and a crossbar in Game 4, however, it is the turnovers that have been the Achilles’ heel for the Habs in this series.

On Monday there were two miscues that cost the Habs. The first goal was a play that was very much so avoidable. Jeff Petry had a chance to get it up the boards but instead tried and making pass up the middle of the ice to Anderson. It was picked off by Ryan McDonagh and the Lightning turned that into a goal. The second goal was a turnover at the Lightning blue line by Tyler Toffoli, who did not get the puck deep, the Lightning took advantage of a bad pinch from Kulak, and Pat Maroon put it in the back of the net to capitalize on a 2-on-1 rush.

Also worth noting that prior to both the Habs and Lightning’s second goals, there were three players in the box for each after offsetting minors. However, the Canadiens were down both Petry and Ben Chiarot, two of their “Clydesdales” and you just cannot do that in an elimination game. Montreal needs to limit the turnovers because all series long the Lightning have made them pay for every one of those mistakes.

5. The Penalty Kill – Positive

When it is all said and done and historians are looking back at the Canadiens’ run to the Cup this year, they will focus on how good the penalty kill has been. They were a perfect 30-for-30 at one point during these playoffs. They improved to over a 91 percent threshold after going on a perfect 5-for-5 for the PK in Game 4.

The PK was most noticeable when Shea Weber took a double-minor high sticking penalty with a minute to go in the third. The Canadiens made sure that they were not going to lose this series with their captain in the penalty box.

The Habs only got one power play to the Lightning’s five, but it was evident when they killed off the three minutes remaining of Weber’s penalty in overtime that they were not going to lose on this night.

Regardless of what happens going forward, this penalty kill has been among some of the best of any hockey playoff team in the history of the game, and they deserve a ton of recognition.