The Montreal Canadiens were entering Game 5 under pressure after they blew a two-goal lead at home in Game 4. With the series tied at two, and being on the road, the Lightning had a great chance to take the series lead heading back to Montreal.
However, the Canadiens put together one of their best performances of the playoffs to win 3-2 on the road and now have a series-clinching opportunity at home on Friday night. The Canadiens did not trail at any point in this game after getting the opening goal three minutes into the first period.
The second period was the busiest as the Lightning would tie it up before the Canadiens responded to take back the lead 11 seconds after that goal. However, the Lightning were not done and tied it at two with a goal by Jake Guentzel.
In the third period, the Canadiens would score the go-ahead goal about a minute into the final period as Montreal caught the Lightning in the middle of a change, and Alexandre Texier was able to shoot one past Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning put plenty of pressure on Montreal late after pulling their goalie for roughly the final 2:30, but the Canadiens were able to stop them from scoring the tying goal.
The series now heads back to Montreal with the Canadiens holding a 3-2 lead and a chance to advance to the second round with a win on Friday night at home. These are some of the top takeaways from Game 5.
Canadiens move Josh Anderson up to the top line
While not a guarantee, it felt like the Montreal Canadiens were going to need to make some changes to their lines going into Game 5. They were struggling to generate chances in 5v5 situations, especially their top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky.
Entering this game, I thought Josh Anderson would be a good fit on the top line, and that is exactly what the Canadiens' head coach did. Anderson has had a great series, and his physicality seemed to make sense next to the skill players of Suzuki and Caufield.
While it didn't result in goals, this line looked better than it did through the first four games of the series. It is probably something they stick with moving forward.
Welcome back, Brendan Gallagher!
In addition to the top line change, the Montreal Canadiens got Brendan Gallagher back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the first four games of this series. The Canadiens made Oliver Kapanen a healthy scratch to create the roster spot for Gallagher.
The veteran forward wasted no time making an impact as he would score the first goal of the game, only three minutes into Game 5. It would be Gallagher's first playoff game in 19 games since he scored a goal on June 2nd, 2021 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Even with the goal, Gallagher had limited ice time in this game, with 10 shifts and under seven minutes of ice time total. However, he made his presence known with the goal and three hits.
Kirby Dach remarkable individual effort on goal in second period
The last time the Montreal Canadiens were playing in Tampa Bay, forward Kirby Dach was one of the more talked-about players and not for good reason. He made some key mistakes late in the game that cost the Canadiens a win in overtime.
Head coach Martin St. Louis stuck with him, and he has responded in a big way with a goal and an assist in Game 3. On Wednesday night, he would score his second goal of this series on a play he basically did himself.
The Lightning had tied the game up at one, and on the ensuing faceoff, the Canadiens won it and got it into the offensive zone. Dach controlled the puck, and after his initial shot was stopped, he was able to kick the puck with his skate to his stick and scored the goal only 11 seconds after the Lightning's goal.
Kirby Dach has bounced back in a big way and been a key part of this team over the past three games.
Montreal Canadiens dominate the faceoff circle in Game 5
One of the reasons the Montreal Canadiens were able to get the road win in Game 5 was their ability to win in the faceoff circle. They finished the game winning over 65% of the faceoffs against the Lightning, with Jake Evans leading the way by winning 12 of his 14 faceoffs.
The ability of the Canadiens to win the faceoff at the rate they did helped them to control the flow of the game and limit the Lightning's ability to set up in the Canadiens' zone. It is one of those underlying stats that are usually a good indicator of whether or not the team is going to win.
This was one of the better all-around performances from the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. They are rewarded with the win and a chance to win the series on Friday night and advance to face either the Buffalo Sabres or the Boston Bruins.
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