On Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning were set to play at the Bell Centre in a game that carried significant playoff implications. Both teams were two points behind the Buffalo Sabres in the standings for first place in the Atlantic Division but both had a game in hand.
As the game unfolded, it was clear both teams understood the magnitude of this game, and it certainly felt like a playoff game. It was a game that was either tied or a one-goal game from the opening puck drop to the final whistle.
However, the Montreal Canadiens found a way in the end with a goal by Juraj Slafkovsky in the final two minutes to deliver two huge points and move Montreal into second by themselves in the Atlantic Division.
These are some of the top takeaways from the game on Thursday night.
Cole Caufield's 50th goal couldn't have come at a better time
Cole Caufield entered this game without a goal in three straight games and was stuck at 49 on the season. It was the longest he went without a goal since mid-January, but that streak has come to an end with his goal in the second period.
That goal by Caufield really set the tone as the Canadiens were able to keep the pressure on the Lightning and control the game for most of the night.
It is the first time since the 1989-90 season that the Canadiens have had a player score 50 or more goals. However, Caufield has a chance to make franchise history and be the first player to win the Rocket Richard trophy as he moved within one goal of Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in goals.
Montreal Canadiens did a great job matching the physicality of Tampa Bay
The Montreal Canadiens are not known for their physicality but they had no problem showing it against the Lightning on Thursday night. Entering the game, the Lightning clearly had a plan where they wanted to hit the Canadiens early and often to hopefully try and get them off their game.
However, the Canadiens weren't rattled and were able to match that intensity for this game as the two teams combined for over 120 penalty minutes, with a majority of those minutes coming in the second period.
For the Canadiens, this was a good test and preview heading into the playoffs, especially if they end up seeing the Lightning in the first round. Based on this game, the Canadiens certainly passed the first test.
Montreal Canadiens didn't do enough to make the Lightning pay on the power play
When the Lightning want to play that type of game, it creates opportunities for their opponents as they are going to the penalty box more. The best way to stop that kind of play is to score a couple of power play goals and make the Lightning think twice.
Unfortunately, the Canadiens weren't able to do that tonight, and it was one of the reasons why the game was so close. The Canadiens would have seven power play opportunities and failed to convert any into goals.
Montreal Canadiens continue to show their resilience
The game was very close and felt very much like a playoff game as the Canadiens held that 1-0 lead going into the final minutes of the third period. With just under two minutes left, the Lightning were finally able to get one past Jakub Dobes and tie the game on a Darren Raddysh goal.
At this point in the game, typically teams think just get it to overtime and secure at least one point. However, the Canadiens showed off the speed and the forecheck as Nick Suzuki was able to get the puck behind the Lightning goal and find Juraj Slafkovsky in front for the go-ahead goal less than a minute later.
This late in the season, not only getting two points but making sure the Lightning didn't come away with one is huge in the standings. The Lightning hold the first tiebreaker over the Canadiens so if Montreal hopes to win the division, or at the very least finish second, they can't be tied with the Lightning at the end of the season.
The Canadiens have shown in the past two games that they are not out of a game until the clock is exactly zero. The fact that they can get the win against the Lightning in the fashion they did after scoring a goal with 41 seconds left in the third period against the Panthers in the last game they played shows how resilient this team is, and that is a quality that will serve them well in the playoffs.