Montreal won a lot of games this season thanks to the outstanding play of goaltender Carey Price, but according to The Globe and Mail, Montreal might lose early in the playoffs for that exact reason.
Both Price and Tampa goalie Ben Bishop have played well this series. Beyond the play of the goaltenders, the Bolts showed they can win games in multiple ways. In Game 1, they won a marathon of a game in double overtime. In Game 2, Tampa turned on its impressive power play to punish the Canadiens, 6-2. In Game 3, Tampa relied on young star Tyler Johnson to come through at an opportune time.
Tampa's offense has been dynamic all series. Montreal's, The Globe and Mail said, has not.
"According to one analyst named Olivier Bouchard, Montreal has had 56 scoring chances in total in the series, 17 more than the Lightning," The Globe and Mail wrote. "But, he explains, few of the Habs chances have come on rebounds or plays forcing Bishop to move side to side, which is when holes open up in the 6-foot-7 netminder."
The series is still a close one. Tampa Bay has two one-goal wins, one of which came in double overtime and one of which came thanks to a goal with less than two seconds left in regulation. But according to The Globe and Mail, when it comes to the number of weapons in each team's arsenal, it's not even close.
"Tampa has a lot of options there. You can see them using them, even when they have off nights like Wednesday," The Globe and Mail wrote. "Montreal doesn’t, not nearly to that extent, as they leaned on Price so often to close the door. It’s why he’ll likely win the Hart Trophy in June. But it can’t help them win this series if they’re producing barely a goal a game."
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