The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] are about to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] in the seventh and final game of a series that has been insanely entertaining. Martin St-Louis’ men have been able to hold their own against Jon Cooper’s battle-tested side, but not because of the usual suspects. Everyone has chipped in for the Canadiens, and while Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky have managed to get five, four, and three points respectively, they’ve been muzzled at even strength. However, it has been even harder for Russian rookie Ivan Demidov. The 20-year-old only has one point, an assist. It’s not that he hasn’t been trying, but the intensity and physicality of the playoffs haven’t been easy to handle for the youngster. Canadiens vs. Lightning: It’s The Final Countdown [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-vs-lightning-it-s-the-final-countdown] Former Canadiens Player Says St-Louis Was Always Going To Be A Coach [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/former-canadiens-player-says-st-louis-was-always-going-to-be-a-coach] Canadiens Made Impressive Progress In A Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-made-impressive-progress-in-a-season] In Game 6, it felt like he had a breakthrough. He was much more visible on the ice and had eight attempts on goal. Five of those shots found their way to Andrei Vasilevvskiy’s net, and he came painfully close to giving the Canadiens the lead, but the veteran netminder had the last laugh. Judging by the look on his face after that couple of saves, he must have had nightmares about that since Friday night. To make matters even worse, he was called for goaltender interference late in the game, a call that was generally considered questionable by the hockey world. Thankfully for him, the Canadiens were able to kill the penalty, but they still lost the game, setting up the stage for a seventh and final game between the two teams. Even if Demidov must have been frustrated after Game 6, it felt like he had taken a step forward in that game and was getting the hang of playoff hockey. If he can come up with the same kind of effort for Game 7, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were key to a Canadiens’ win. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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].
