The pressure is on Montreal to win at home after dropping the first two games of the series in Tampa, scoring only two goals in the process.
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Here are five things you should know about Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final between the Canadiens and the Lightning at the Bell Centre Friday (8 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
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Where they’re at: The lower-seeded team in the series, i.e. the Canadiens, has to win at least one game on the road to be successful and, after the Canadiens missed their first two opportunities in Tampa, the pressure is on to win at home. Montreal managed to score only one goal in each of the first two games and made life difficult for goaltender Carey Price with poor puck management. Five of the eight Tampa Bay goals were scored after the Canadiens turned the puck over and four of those turnovers were in the neutral or offensive zone.
Vasilevskiy is the key: Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy finished second to Marc-André Fleury in the Vézina Trophy voting, which might have been based more on sentiment than ability. But if the Lightning repeats as the Stanley Cup champion, Vasilievskiy should be the easy choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Vasilevskiy was the difference in Game 2 as he made 42 saves. He has allowed fewer than two goals in 10 games and has a 1.89 goals-against average to go with his playoff-best .939 save percentage.
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The coach is back: The Canadiens were unable to get permission to welcome more than 3,500 fans to the Bell Centre, but they will welcome interim head coach Dominique Ducharme back behind the bench after he missed six games following a positive COVID-19 test. Ducharme’s 14-day quarantine period ends Friday morning. Ducharme has been in contact with his coaching staff and the players via Zoom and acting coach Luke Richardson has done a good job running the bench during games, but Montreal should benefit from having Ducharme on hand to implement his system.
Need more from veterans: Nick Suzuki and rookie Cole Caufield had a bounce-back game after nerves got the better of them in Game 1. Suzuki had nine shots on goal and scored the only Montreal goal on a power-play shot from the blue line that rolled between Vasilevskiy’s pads. While there was concern about the kids in Game 1, the Canadiens have to figure a way to score the first goal, which was one of the keys in their first three series, and they need some offence from their veteran leaders. While Phillip Danault’s line is tasked with shutting down Tampa Bay’s top lines, it was has to be able to generate more than two shots on goal.
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Killorn close to return? While Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper wasn’t tipping his hand about lineup changes, he did say that forward Alex Killlorn will accompany the team to Montreal. Killorn, who played his minor hockey on the West Island, sat out Game 2 after he took a Jeff Petry shot off his left foot in the series opener. Killorn is one of the Lightning’s top forwards with eight goals and nine assists in 19 playoff games. He is one of four Quebecers in the Tampa Bay lineup along with Yanni Gourde, David Savard and Mathieu Joseph.
Stanley Cup final Game 3: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette
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