Canadiens rally to hand Lightning first road loss

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
October 27, 2016

The scheduled opening month matchup between Tampa Bay and Montreal took on the personality of a game suited more for April than October.

In a start to the season that saw scoring on an uptick – the Lightning a big part of that in the previous game in Toronto – there was very little space on the ice for either team, resulting in a more typical low-scoring affair as the Canadiens rallied for a 3-1 victory at Bell Centre.

Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty scored less than four minutes apart in the third period to rally Montreal to victory while Torrey Mitchell added an empty net goal to cap off the rally. Carey Price stopped 30 shots for the Canadiens.

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Alex Killorn scored his sixth goal in seven games for Tampa Bay’s only goal while Ben Bishop stopped 23 shots.

From the beginning of the game, it was evident that this was not going to be a high-scoring, wide-open affair as many early season games tend to turn in to around the league. Instead, the checking was evident, space was limited and every puck was challenged by both teams.

“It was tough. I think it was similar to a playoff atmosphere,’’ Killorn said. “Two good teams, it was tight checking, weren't a lot of opportunities. We knew that coming in.’’

The two teams combined for just 13 shots on goal in the first period, with Tampa Bay limited to just four, only two by forwards. But the game was scoreless through 20 minutes and remained that way late in to the second period.

As the Lightning started to build some momentum and put some pressure on in the Montreal zone, Tampa Bay took the lead as Victor Hedman sent a perfect cross-seam pass right on the stick of Killorn, who gained position at the top of the crease to redirect the puck off his backhand past Price with 3:52 left in the second period. It marked just the third time Tampa Bay scored the first goal in the opening seven games of the season.

Tampa Bay’s chance to build on that lead came late in the second and early in to the third on back-to-back power play chances – the first coming with 23 seconds left in the second period and then 1:26 in to the third (which equaled an 11-second two-man advantage). But Tampa Bay, which has shown an improved power play this season, failed to convert on the consecutive opportunities, keeping the game within a goal.

As so often tends to be the case, just as Tampa Bay failed on its power play chances, the Canadiens were able to cash in roughing call to Nikita Nesterov, who pulled Brenden Gallagher off goaltender Ben Bishop from behind at 4:58. Galchenyuk would then one-time a shot from the right circle at 6:12 to even up the game.

Less than four minutes later, Pacioretty rifled a wrist shot from the slot past Bishop at 10:23 to put Montreal in the lead for good.

“It was a pretty even game,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “In the end, special teams; they got the power-play goal, and we didn't. We had that kind of four-minute stretch there when we had one decent looks. It comes down to two good teams playing. Chances were probably even, shots were close.

It was a tight-checking game, and it came down to special teams and they got the better of us.’’

Postgame notes: Hedman recorded his 184 th career assist, three short of tying Dan Boyle for the all-time franchise lead among defensemen. Hedman currently ranks eighth overall in franchise history in assists.… D Anton Stralman extended his scoring streak to three games. … Montreal improved to 7-0- 1 on the season and became the first team in NHL history to win seven of its first eight games in three consecutive seasons. The Canadiens also became just the second team to start consecutive seasons with points in at least the first eight games, joining the 2012-13 and 2013-14 San Jose Sharks.

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