TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Six one-goal video games. 4 time beyond regulation video games. Now, Sport 7.
It’s a becoming solution to determine the Canadiens-Lightning collection on Sunday evening.
Gage Goncalves prolonged Tampa Bay’s season with an time beyond regulation purpose Friday evening, forcing Montreal again on the highway to attempt to shut out an exhilarating Japanese Convention opening-round collection.
“We haven’t received something but,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper mentioned. “All we did was win a sport to ship us again to Tampa and maintain our season alive. You don’t need to rain on the parade. … however we haven’t completed something but.”
Each groups have every received twice on the highway within the collection and residential ice has not been a bonus for the Lightning within the postseason. They’re simply 2-10 of their final 12 playoff video games in Tampa Bay, the place a raucous crowd all the time exhibits up — 460 consecutive sellouts.
How even are these groups?
The rating has been tied or inside one purpose for all however six minutes within the collection. Every crew has 14 objectives, together with 9 in 5-on-5 play.
“In 14 years within the league, I’ve been in a variety of Sport 7s, some the place we weren’t pretty much as good as the opposite crew and a few the place I believed we have been pretty much as good as the opposite crew,” Cooper mentioned. “And this proper right here is so even from particular groups to the goaltending to every thing and that’s the way you get Sport 7s. To win this, you need to have a particular sport out of your crew. I’m assuming the crew that wins goes to get yet one more break than the opposite one.”
After falling two wins in need of a Stanley Cup three-peat in 2022, the Lightning have been eradicated within the first spherical every of the previous three seasons.
The Canadiens are chasing their first collection victory in 5 years.
“You’ve simply acquired to embrace the scenario,” mentioned Canadiens coach and Hockey Corridor of Famer Martin St. Louis, who received some Sport 7s as a participant in Tampa Bay. “Issues are supposed to be. Issues are supposed to be for our development, issues are supposed to be that we’re enjoying a Sport 7. I believe it’s going to assist us pull towards what’s subsequent for us.”
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
When/The place to Watch: Sport 1, Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Sequence: Tied 3-3.
The Lightning are 7-3 in Sport 7s, together with 4-1 in Tampa Bay. They beat Toronto in Sport 7 to shut out a first-round collection in 2022 of their final winner-take-all sport.
The Canadiens are 15-9 in Sport 7s, together with 7-6 on the highway.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 30 saves for Tampa Bay for his eighth profession playoff shutout in Sport 6. The Vezina Trophy finalist and two-time Cup winner is used to the stress.
It’ll be the primary Sport 7 for Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has been excellent within the collection.
Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel has six objectives in six video games.
Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche
When/The place to Watch: Sport 1, Sunday, 9 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Sequence: Second-round opener.
These two Central Division foes know one another effectively. Each groups have been 2-1-1 in opposition to one another this season, given the NHL’s level system. They every received a sport in regulation and misplaced in a shootout. Not solely that, however the matchup options seven gamers who have been within the gold-medal sport — received by Group USA — at this 12 months’s Milan Cortina Olympics.
The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche and Wild are assembly for simply the fourth time within the postseason. The final time these two groups met was the primary spherical of the 2014 playoffs when Minnesota received Sport 7 in time beyond regulation. Avalanche standout Nathan MacKinnon made his playoff debut in that collection. The Wild additionally received the 2003 convention quarterfinals in seven video games over Colorado, whereas the Avalanche captured a 2008 convention quarterfinals collection in six video games.
“It’s going to be a very arduous collection,” Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes mentioned. “They’ve acquired some ultra-competitive guys, too. It’s an awesome problem for us. We’re going to be wanting ahead to it.”
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AP Sports activities Author Pat Graham contributed to this report.
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