Lightning at Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens kept alive their season with a lopsided victory and hope to stave off elimination again when they return home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Saturday's Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Canadiens averted a sweep with a 6-2 drubbing at Tampa Bay on Thursday, ending a string of eight consecutive losses to the Lightning this season.
“We’re not going away quietly,” Montreal forward Brandon Prust said after his team rebounded from a crushing last-second loss in Game 3. The Canadiens dominated both games at Tampa Bay, while one of their two home losses came in double overtime. The Lightning, who won all five regular-season meetings before taking the first three games of this series, know they need to put forth a better effort. "We got what was coming," Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said. "We had too many passengers the last couple games. The team will address that."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING: Ben Bishop was sidelined due to injury when Montreal swept the Lightning in four games a year ago, but the 6-7 netminder had haunted the Canadiens since, stopping 100-of-104 shots over the first three contests before receiving an early exit Thursday. "I think Bishop sort of was sitting on a horseshoe for a little bit there," Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban said. "He's played well, but he's been lucky as well. I think seeing him being pulled out of the net is a confidence booster for our team." Ondrej Palat, who recorded 16 goals and 63 points during the regular season, scored once and set up the Lightning's other tally Thursday to match his point total from the previous six contests.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS: Montreal netted only eight goals in the five regular-season meetings and four more in the first three games of the series before leading scorer Max Pacioretty set up one tally and scored while short-handed in the first 8:43 of Game 3 to ignite the rout. "This group won three out of four elimination games in the playoffs last year, so we knew what to expect and we played with that desperation we needed to have," Pacioretty said. "But we're still down three games to one and we need to play with that same desperation the next game and hope to creep into their mind by playing the right way." Pacioretty finished with three points while Subban and Alex Galchenyuk added two assists apiece.
OVERTIME
1. Montreal never has extended a best-of-seven series beyond five games after trailing 3-0.
2. Lightning C Tyler Johnson, who has netted a playoff-high eight tallies, has not gone back-to-back games in the postseason without scoring.
3. The Canadiens have lost their last three games at home.