TAMPA, Fla. — It could be simple to take a look at the Montreal Canadiens profitable Sport 7 on Sunday and eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning in their very own constructing as a coming-of-age second.
They’re, in spite of everything, the youngest crew within the playoffs.
However a extra correct view could be that the Canadiens had already come of age, and it’s that maturation course of that allowed them to win Sport 7.
Alex Newhook scored his first purpose of the playoffs at 11:07 of the third interval to snap a 1-1 tie and ship the Canadiens to the second spherical in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres with a 2-1 victory over the Lightning. It capped a seven-game collection that had one two-goal lead, had each recreation finish with a one-goal margin, with 4 of them ending in time beyond regulation. It was a really unimaginable collection, and each groups had been deserving, however just one crew can win in the long run.
It’s been a comparatively brief course of for this younger Canadiens group to win its first playoff collection simply 5 years after the earlier incarnation of the Canadiens misplaced Sport 5 of the Stanley Cup Remaining on this very constructing in 2021.
Captain Nick Suzuki — who scored his first purpose of the playoffs within the first interval — and main scorer Cole Caufield had been younger gamers on that veteran Canadiens crew, however they’re now veteran leaders of this group, with 12 gamers on the present roster youthful than Caufield, who turned 25 on Jan. 2. That features rookie beginning goaltender Jakub Dobeš — Montreal’s finest participant, by far, in Sport 7 with 28 saves — rookie star winger Ivan Demidov and Caufield’s linemate Juraj Slafkovský, the No. 1 decide within the 2022 NHL Draft who kick-started this rebuild.
However Slafkovský is an ideal instance of the distinction between age and expertise. He simply turned 22 on March 30, however has been within the NHL since 2022 and is finishing his fourth season with the Canadiens.
“Younger in age,” Brendan Gallagher, the Canadiens’ longest-tenured participant who took half in that 2021 Cup last, mentioned Sunday morning when requested if he felt his crew was nonetheless younger.
“I believe what we’ve been by way of and the belief — most younger gamers once they come up within the Nationwide Hockey League don’t get the kinds of minutes that our guys have,” he continued. “Them being as proficient and having the potential that they’ve, they’ve been put into these positions earlier, you achieve these experiences earlier.
“So younger in age, however their means to deal with these items, it goes past how outdated they’re. So the quantity of belief and confidence and perception that we’ve got in them is as a lot as anybody within the league. It’s essential due to what they’ve been by way of.”
They confirmed it in Sport 7.
Dominic James scored for the Lightning, who dominated lengthy stretches of Sport 7 however couldn’t determine Dobeš. And now the Lightning have misplaced within the first spherical 4 consecutive seasons and can head into the offseason with some critical soul-searching and maybe a must make some tangible roster modifications to shake themselves out of this first-round rut.
A second interval to recollect … or to overlook
Trailing after 20 minutes, the Lightning outshot the Canadiens 12-0 within the second interval and at last broke by way of with James’ tying purpose. The Canadiens didn’t register a shot on purpose regardless of getting two energy performs within the interval, however for the overwhelming majority of time at five-on-five, they appeared merely content material handy the puck again to the Lightning and allow them to assault.
Now, the Lightning deserve credit score for that as properly. They had been suffocating within the impartial zone and pressured Canadiens puck carriers all around the ice into errors.
However contemplating how the center body went, the Canadiens had been fortunate to have an opportunity to win the sport within the third. And that was thanks largely to …
Jakub Dobeš was on fireplace
Most of the Canadiens’ younger gamers had moments on this recreation the place their youth confirmed.
Not the case with Dobeš.
He made 11 saves in that second interval and turned apart plenty of high quality Lightning possibilities within the first as properly, with two of his finest coming off Goncalves one-timers from the slot space. He made one other off Goncalves on a one-timer from the slot at 5:10 of the third interval.
Dobeš entered the sport with a .916 save share within the collection and supplied a few of its most interesting moments. However that second-period efficiency may need been his finest.
All a crew can ask of its goaltender is to offer them an opportunity to win. Dobeš did that, and extra.
Tampa fourth line on fireplace
The Lightning had not bought a lot depth scoring within the collection till Gage Goncalves received Sport 6 in time beyond regulation.
That fourth-line mojo continued into Sport 7 for Tampa Bay. The road of Goncalves with Dominic James and Oliver Bjorkstrand gave Montreal matches all evening lengthy, getting the higher of their matchups and coming near scoring in every interval.
And it was subsequently becoming that it was James who tied the sport 1-1 for Tampa, with a re-direction on a Lightning energy play at 13:27 of the second interval. Tampa’s second power-play unit bought to begin that energy play as a result of a few of the Lightning’s huge gun had simply had an extended 5 on 5 shift main as much as the Montreal penalty. Which all labored out with James scoring.
James, 23, is a younger participant who has grown to be one in every of Jon Cooper’s trusted choices. At any time when Tampa shortens the bench chasing a recreation, James stays a part of the combination. That’s excessive reward and he’s earned it.
Noah Dobson returns for Canadiens
Noah Dobson suffered what gave the impression to be a left hand harm on April 11, with some fears he may need damaged a bone.
Three weeks and a day after the harm, Dobson was in uniform for Sport 7. And he made an affect.
He was not sheltered by coach Martin St. Louis, was in a position to shoot the puck and made some essential defensive performs. The Canadiens may need misplaced a little bit of physicality with Arber Xhekaj giving up his spot to Dobson, however they added a ton of poise and puck shifting.
One in every of Dobson’s greatest performs got here on the shift after the James purpose tied it. Lined up for an offensive zone faceoff, Dobson’s shot from the purpose went broad to the skin and rimmed across the boards to Brandon Hagel, making a two-on-one break for the Lightning with Dobson defending. Simply as Hagel was on the point of go it throughout, Dobson slid on the ice and poked the puck away together with his stick.
With simply over 5 minutes left in regulation, Dobson blocked a Hagel shot within the Canadiens’ slot and slowly made his solution to the bench, in clear discomfort.
He got here again to complete the sport, however we’ll see what meaning for his availability within the second spherical, which he simply helped the Canadiens attain for the primary time in 5 years.