Having taken on all the challenges that presented themselves in the first three rounds of the playoffs, the members of the Montreal Canadiens certainly realized that they were now rubbing shoulders with a team that had reached a whole new level of excellence on Monday night. .
The Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final 5-1 and little positive came out of that performance for the Habs.
Indeed, the big guns of the Florida club have shown what they are capable of. The defensive system limited the Canadian to 19 shots and, on the few scoring chances that could have favored the visitors, Andrei Vasilevskiy was keeping an eye on the grain.
In addition, the experience of the team, including the affront of a sweep at the hands of a clearly neglected team in 2019 [les Blue Jackets de Columbus] and winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 gives the troops a confidence and patience that seem unwavering.
- Hear impressions of the Canadiens’ opening game against the Lightning:
“I thought the Lightning played really well, [de façon] disciplined, said Alexandre Picard in the last episode of the podcast Break time. We waited a long time in the match. Yes, it ended 5-1, but early in the game, we were waiting for our chances and we took advantage of two turnovers to score the first two goals. It’s a mature team that knows exactly how to win. ”
Conditions to be fulfilled
The former Canadiens color-bearer believes, however, that the slope is not too steep to be overcome. Indeed, if the game of the CH was not up to this first duel, it could become so under certain conditions.
“I didn’t find the Canadiens ready to play,” said the former fullback. I didn’t find them too sharp in the small details. And I think we realized that, defensively, the Lightning was a lot stronger than the teams we faced. ”
“I think it will be a good series, a long series, as long as the Canadian adjusts between the two games.”
The second duel of the series will be presented on Wednesday evening on the TVA Sports channel.
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