The Montreal Canadiens will have an opportunity to punch their ticket to the second round tonight when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of what has been the tightest series of the first round in the NHL.
After enjoying a day off on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be back on the ice tonight, and the Habs will have the opportunity to advance to the second round with a win. Since moving to the Bell Centre in 1996, the Sainte-Flanelle has eliminated its rivals only four times in front of a capacity-filled building. A 3-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1998, a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins in 2002, a 5-0 win against those same Bruins in 2008, and a 4-3 win against the Lightning in 2014, a sweep. Then, twice in front of a limited number of fans during its magical run to the Cup final in 2021, a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets to finish the sweep and another 3-2 win, this time against the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime on St-Jean-Baptiste day in Game 6.
Can the Canadiens do it once more on Friday night? Time will tell. Historically, the Bolts have an 11-10 record in Game 6 of a series for a .524 winning percentage. When the game is played at home, they are 6-6, and when it’s on the road, they are 5-4. However, when they trail 3-2 in the series, they are 4-6 for a .400 winning percentage. When the series started at home, and Game 6 was played on the road, they have a 2-1 record (.667 winning percentage).
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Meanwhile,
the Canadiens have a 36-27 record in Game 6 of a series for a .571 winning
percentage. When that game is played on the road, they are 17-18, but at home
they are 19-9 for a .679 winning percentage. When they have a 3-2 series lead,
they have a 27-3 record for a stunning .900 winning percentage, and when the
series started on the road and Game 6 is played at home, they are 7-1 (.875 win
percentage).
If for many of the young Habs this will be a first game in which they can eliminate their rival, for a couple of veterans with the Lightning, facing elimination is just another day at the office. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, a former Canadiens first-round pick from the 2007 draft who was traded to acquire Scott Gomez, will be playing his 31st game facing elimination; his team has come out on top 20 times. As for forward Corey Perry, he’s faced that situation 35 times, and his team has won 19 of those games.
All eyes will be on Martin St-Louis once more tonight to see if he makes any lineup changes or lines adjustments. Will Brendan Gallagher play a second game in a row? He has certainly proven that he can still make an impact on proceedings, even with limited ice time. Will Josh Anderson still be with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield? Will the Lady Bing finalist finally break through at even strength? Or will the Canadiens’ depth scoring finish the job it started so well? Can the Canadiens manage to keep Hagel off the scoresheet for a second game in a row? It would certainly be a step in the right direction…
The Canadiens will hold a morning skate at the Bell Centre at 10:30 AM, but by now we know that St-Louis is unlikely to reveal much ahead of puck drop. The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN2, and The Spot. Francis Charron and Jon McIsaac are set to officiate, while Jesse Marquis and Andrew Smith will be the linemen. If you're attending the game, be sure to be in your seat for the pump-up video, it yet another strong offering by the Canadiens. It will also be interesting to see who will carry the torch tonight. Cournoyer did it for Game 1, Savard did it for Game 3, who's next? Larry Robinson? Patrick Roy?
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