Lightning-Canadiens Recreation 7: Key gamers, ultimate rating picks

It is all comes down to 1 recreation for the host Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.

Three wins apiece, 4 of the six video games needing extra time to resolve a winner.

Which group will transfer on to face the Buffalo Sabres within the subsequent spherical, and which one will spend the approaching months wishing it might have had simply one extra likelihood to take action?

Our panel of hockey reporters and analysts is right here to interrupt down the important thing gamers to look at in Sunday’s Recreation 7 (6 p.m. ET, TNT), in addition to make a prediction on the ultimate rating.

Who’s the one key participant you will be watching in Recreation 7?

Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: Jakub Dobes. A lot of the dialog across the Canadiens has been about how their younger core would deal with one other playoff run. An argument could be made that Dobes has been certainly one of, if not the most constant performer of this collection in the case of how this membership will function sooner or later. He is given the Canadiens an opportunity to win in each recreation all through the collection.

Doing the identical in Recreation 7 is barely going to lift his profile in a metropolis wherein being the No. 1 goalie already comes with fairly a little bit of consideration.

Emily Kaplan, NHL reporter: Nikita Kucherov. He would possibly win the Hart Trophy for league MVP this season, scoring a ridiculous 130 factors in 76 video games (44 objectives, 86 assists, which is 42 factors greater than his closest teammate) however his postseason hasn’t been as much as his identical good requirements — but.

Within the Lightning’s worst group efficiency of the collection, a Recreation 5 loss at dwelling, Kucherov’s physique language was noticeably poor. That is one thing the Tampa Bay workers says the star winger had minimize down on this season. They at all times make clear: Kucherov isn’t complaining about teammates or coaches, he is extra annoyed with himself that the performs he expects to be there simply aren’t materializing. Kucherov can erase all of that narrative with a signature efficiency in Recreation 7.

Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: Cole Caufield. Sufficient is sufficient. As efficient as Tampa Bay has been at stifling Montreal’s high line, Caufield stays effectively overdue after scoring extra objectives this season — 51, together with 40 at even power — than anybody not named Nathan MacKinnon. If Andrei Vasilevskiy hadn’t put forth his most interesting efficiency of this collection, the league’s second-best scorer stood an excellent likelihood of scoring off 4 high quality photographs in Recreation 6 (0.65 ixG, in accordance with Evolving Hockey).

If Caufield lastly manages so as to add to his present measly complete of 1 power-play objective this collection, when it issues most, the Habs will stand a considerably higher likelihood of shifting on to face the Sabres.

Arda Öcal, NHL broadcaster: Andrei Vasilevskiy. Huge Cat is likely one of the most clutch goaltenders in NHL historical past. He has eight profession playoff shutouts and 7 of them have been both in a series-clinching or elimination recreation.

He stood tall with a shutout in Recreation 6, making 30 saves, which is his second most quantity of saves in a playoff shutout. If Tampa Bay wins Recreation 7, it is on the again of certainly one of their most dependable members of their roster in over a decade.

Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Brayden Level. It is wild that the largest impression Level has had on this collection is spawning heated debate over an (alleged?) missed high-sticking name in Recreation 6 that (doubtlessly?) price the Lighting a four-minute energy play. Level has one objective towards the Canadiens heading into Recreation 7, and that is after he collected 50 factors in 63 regular-season video games. He has been a point-per-game producer within the playoffs earlier than, and greater than that, Level has been an offensive driver for Tampa Bay.

However to assume he is averaging almost 20 minutes of ice time, and it nonetheless feels (solely half-jokingly) like his face belongs on a lacking individuals’ report? That is not the usual Level has set for himself over time (he as soon as scored 51 objectives in a season!), and if Level has been holding one thing again or ready for the highlight to burn brightest to completely shine, effectively, that is the time to step ahead. The Lightning want extra from their star gamers and Level bears strain to be a difference-maker in Recreation 7.

Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: Brandon Hagel. Coach Jon Cooper known as him “the straw that is been stirring us” in these playoffs, and for good motive. He is scored. He is fought. He is antagonized the Canadiens. He is gone from being an important two-way participant to 1 with gravitas.

Look no additional than the Recreation 6 extra time winner: How Hagel dekes round one Montreal participant after which magnetically attracts two others to open up the deep a part of the zone the place Gage Goncalves finally scored. He is one of many major causes they’re in a Recreation 7. Would possibly as effectively be the rationale they win it.

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Lightning drive Recreation 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT objective

Lightning drive Recreation 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT objective.

The ultimate rating will likely be _____.

Clark: 3-2 Canadiens in OT.

Kaplan: 2-1 Lightning in OT.

Matiash: 3-2 Lightning.

Öcal: 2-1 Habs in triple extra time. As a result of after the collection they’ve had, why not?

Shilton: 2-1 Lightning in double OT.

Wyshynski: 4-2 Lightning, redeeming themselves in entrance of the house followers after an embarrassing Recreation 5 effort.