Everything you need to know: Canadiens look to upset Lightning in 2021 Stanley Cup Final
The quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup is down to two combatants.
The Stanley Cup Final starts Monday with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens squaring off in Game 1 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
The Lightning’s presence is no surprise. They are the reigning Stanley Cup champs, having won the title in 2020 in the NHL’s playoff bubble in Edmonton. Tampa Bay is no doubt motivated to win it again, this time in front of its home fans.
As for the Canadiens, their journey has been an unexpected one. They had the fewest regular-season points of any team that reached the postseason and fell behind 3-1 in their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But no matter. They've rallied to make it this far.
Despite being the NHL’s most decorated franchise, with 24 Stanley Cups, Montreal hasn’t won one since 1993, which was also the last time a team based in Canada won the trophy.
Here’s what you need to know before the Stanley Cup Final gets underway.
How did the Lightning get here?
As the reigning champ, Tampa Bay has been one of the teams to beat all season. However, the Lightning finished just third in a competitive Central Division (remember, the NHL realigned its divisions temporarily for the 2020-21 season to limit travel during the pandemic) and had to get past the top two seeds, the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, in their first two playoff series.
Tampa Bay then defeated the New York Islanders — the same team it beat in the semifinal round last season — in a grueling, seven-game series that culminated in a 1-0 victory on Friday in Game 7.
On a team with its fair share of stars, it was a depth forward, Yanni Gourde, who scored the decisive goal in that game (shorthanded, no less), which goes to show just how deep the Lightning are.
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How did the Canadiens get here?
Through four games of their first-round series against Toronto, the Canadiens looked like they were headed for a quick and disappointing exit after general manager Marc Bergevin made several big moves during the offseason to remake Montreal into a contender.
But the Canadiens won two straight overtime games to force a Game 7, and then they beat the Leafs in Toronto for a stunning series win.
Montreal swept the Winnipeg Jets in the second round and then, in an even more shocking development than the first-round victory, took out the heavily favored Vegas Golden Knights in six games. Both series ended with overtime goals, including Artturi Lehkonen’s winner in Game 6 to beat Vegas.
Does this mean Tampa Bay is the overwhelming favorite?
Yes, and it’s easy to see why. The Lightning, in addition to being the reigning champs, have built a strong playoff pedigree, having reached at least the conference final round in five of the past seven seasons. This is their third trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 2015.
On the other side, it’s true that Montreal had an underwhelming regular season and has been the underdog in every series it has played so far. But the Stanley Cup playoffs have a long history of favorites falling and underestimated teams emerging to win it all.
The Canadiens have shown so far that they have the right recipe to take home the Cup: timely goals from up and down the lineup, a stout, physical defense and otherworldly goaltending (more on that below).
Check out the odds for the Stanley Cup Final on FOX Bet.
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Which players should I keep an eye on?
For Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov is the leading point scorer in the playoffs, with 27 points — this after he missed the entire regular season because of a hip injury in what some criticized as salary-cap circumvention by the Lightning. Kucherov also missed nearly all of Game 6 of the Islanders series after receiving a cross-check. He managed to play normal minutes in Game 7, but the injury could still affect him going forward.
Victor Hedman is the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the 2020 playoff MVP, and he is a finalist for this year’s Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman (an award he won in 2018). He’ll be matched up consistently against the Canadiens’ top lines.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the steadiest goaltenders in the league. He has four shutouts this postseason, including all three series clinchers. He’s a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the league’s best goalie, for the fourth straight season (he won it in 2019).
For Montreal, Carey Price is a likely Hall of Famer, but his regular-season numbers (2.64 goals-against average, .901 save percentage) were not up to his usual standard. He has ramped it up during the playoffs significantly, though, with a 2.02 GAA and .934 save percentage. If the Canadiens upset the Lightning, he will undoubtedly be a big reason for it.
Cole Caufield is just 20 and made his NHL debut in April, but he has already established himself as one of Montreal’s most exciting players. And he has shown a knack for spectacular goals, such as this impressive effort in Game 6 against the Golden Knights.
Phillip Danault isn’t a flashy player, but as the Canadiens’ best defensive forward, he is counted on to neutralize the opposition’s top players. Expect him to take most of Montreal’s defensive-zone face-offs in the series.
Where can I watch?
Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena will be on NBCSN in the U.S., with the rest of the series shifting to NBC. Here’s the full series schedule:
Game 1: Canadiens at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET Monday (NBCSN)
Game 2: Canadiens at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET Wednesday (NBCSN)
Game 3: Lightning at Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET Friday (NBC)
Game 4: Lightning at Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET July 5 (NBC)
Game 5*: Canadiens at Lightning, 8 p.m. ET July 7 (NBC)
Game 6*: Lightning at Canadiens, 8 p.m. ET July 9 (NBC)
Game 7*: Canadiens at Lightning, 7 p.m. ET July 11 (NBC)
* – if necessary
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