After a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] were back at it on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning]. Martin St-Louis’ men were hoping to win a second game in a row and take a 2-0 lead back to Montreal. Jon Cooper had laid his cards on the table, inserting Scott Sabourin in his lineup, a clear sign that the Bolts were coming in with the intention to create some mayhem. Meanwhile, Martin St-Louis stuck to his guns, making no changes to his winning lineup. After all, why change a winning formula? Canadiens And Anderson Earn Big Praise From Tkachuk [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-and-anderson-earn-big-praise-from-tkachuk] Canadiens' Nick Suzuki Predicted To Win Top Award [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-nick-suzuki-predicted-to-win-top-award] Canadiens: Round 2 In Tampa For Arber Xhekaj & Scott Sabourin? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-round-2-in-tampa-for-arber-xhekaj-scott-sabourin] PLAYING SMART After the first game, Cooper didn’t hesitate to call his players’ play stupid because they took several penalties in the offensive zone, and one has to say they didn’t act any smarter in Game 2. Right from the get-go, Sabourin was running after Josh Anderson, trying to bait him into dropping the gloves. It made sense given how much of an impact the power forward had on proceedings in the first duel, but he just brushed him off, avoiding the trap laid by the Bolts. Needless to say, had they dropped the gloves and been sent to the box for five minutes, the Canadiens would have suffered a much bigger loss. Later in the first frame, it was Corey Perry who tried to bait Alexandre Carrier into fighting. The Tampa agitator dropped his gloves and tried his hardest to get the Canadiens defenseman to dance, but he wouldn’t, despite mayhem breaking all around them. As a result, the Bolts got an extra penalty, and the Habs were able to tie up the game. ANDERSON COMES UP CLUTCH…AGAIN Tampa Bay tried to concentrate a bit more on hockey in the second frame and dominated in shots with 11 to the Canadiens’ nine, but St-Louis’ men were the only ones to find the back of the net, through Anderson, who scored for a second game in a row. The Habs patiently played the game in front of them, taking no unnecessary risks and pouncing when the time was right. After 40 minutes, Anderson had four of the Canadiens 21 shots, more than any other Hab. While much of the chatter ahead of this series was about the Habs being a one-line team, their defence-first and fourth line scored in both games, this time getting the better of the Bolts’ third line featuring Yanni Gourde, Nick Paul and Zemgus Girgensons. SLAFKOVSKY ANSWERED THE BELL It’s not Juraj Slafkovsky’s job to drop the gloves, but when Brandon Hagel challenged him, he answered the bell. It was obvious that the power forward didn’t have much experience in that department, but he was still able to throw a couple of good hits before Hagel connected with his chin, sending him down to the ice. Still, the former first-overall pick jumped right back up, in time to throw another punch. One could say he took it on the chin literally and moved on. A MISSED OPPORTUNITY With just two minutes left on the boards, Cooper sent out Sabourin, who blindsided Anderson with a hit in the lower back. The refs called a five-minute major, then reviewed the play and gave him a two-minute minor. The Canadiens were unable to capitalize on the power play, and the game went to overtime. ONE-SIDED FINISH While the Canadiens had a good game, the overtime belonged to the Bolts. They had nine shots while Montreal had none. Jakub Dobes was making big saves after big saves, but eventually it caught up to them. The game-winning goal came after Kirby Dach iced the puck unnecessarily, which led to a faceoff right by Dobes, which the Lightning won. Then, as the play unfolded, Dach felt he was being interfered with and raised his arm in protest, rather than focusing on the play. J.J. Moser found the back of the net on Anthony Cirelli's pass. Dach had no shot, no blocked shot, three hits and one giveaway. If St-Louis feels it's time to bring someone else in, Dach might just have volunteered his spot. The series is now tied 1-1, and it becomes a best-of-five. While a split on the road is still a good result, the way in which they lost Game 2 could be deflating for the young Canadiens. The next game will take place on Friday night, at 7:00 PM in Montreal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
