About Last Night: Bolts beat Habs in last three minutes

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The decimated Montreal Canadiens held out for the first 57 minutes of their rematch against reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Center on Tuesday, but late goals from Corey Perry and Ondrej Palat sealed a 3-2 victory for the champions. .

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These weren’t the same Habs that faced the Bolts in the Stanley Cup final in June / July. Due to offseason movements and injuries, only eight players from that team got dressed on Tuesday. That includes backup Jake Allen, who got the call tonight. It could have been an anticlimactic game, given where each team is currently in, but the brave and exhausted Canadiens put in a spirited effort.

Earlier in the day, Habs defender David Savard received his ring as a member of the Cup-winning Lightning team:

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In the first, the new defense of the Canadiens, Kale Clague, caused an unfortunate first impression, fanning the attempt to clear behind the net and sending it directly to the stick of Pat Maroon. The good luck charm Stanley Cup beat a surprised Allen to make it 1-0. The Habs remained strong in the first, even killing a penalty Ben Chiarot, but still found a goal after the opening period.

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Savard played a strong game against his former colleagues. In the second, Nick Suzuki grabbed the puck in his zone and skidded it down before handing it out to Jonathan Drouin, who caught a Savard heading for the net. Savard moved forward and passed an open Suzuki on his left. Suzuki beat him home to tie the game 1-1.

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Less than three minutes later, the Canadiens took the lead. Suzuki won the tie from Mike Hoffman on his right. Hoffman moved to the center, firing through a screen and hitting Andrei Vasilevskiy’s short flank. Hoffman was credited with the goal, but it could have hit Drouin on the way to the net. Either way, Montreal 2-1. Suzuki got the point 100 of his career.

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Between the two goals, Christian Dvorak became entangled with Cal Foote and left the game in discomfort. He did not return to the game. With just over five minutes to go in the second, Alexander Romanov had one of three hits during the game, this time off the legs of Anthony Cirelli. Zach Bogosian objected to the low blow and dropped the gloves with an unsuspecting Romanov. Bogosian received five minutes for fighting, two for the instigator and a 10-minute foul. Romanov got a fight commander and two minutes for tripping. The period ended with the Habs holding a 2-1 lead.

The Canadiens gained more momentum to start the third when they successfully killed their second penalty of the night. Then Allen, with a little help from Savard, filled Alex Killorn with a pad save, followed by another save on the rebound.

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Habs fans haven’t had much to cheer on this season, but they respect a solid effort, and the Bell Center crowd showed their appreciation to the home team. Artturi Lehkonen had a clean break, but the puck hit the top of Vasilevskiy’s stick.

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But the Tampa Bay Lightning are the champions for a reason, and they were able to flip the switch with little time left. At 5:51 p.m., Corey Perry tied the game against his former team. Perry ran the net with poise all night, and a goal from him seemed inevitable. He was in the right place up front to redirect a Steven Stamkos pass.

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With just under 40 seconds to go, Palat dealt the final blow to the Habs. After picking up the puck from the boards, Killorn waited for Palat to head towards the net before connecting with a pass. Palat went backhand to right and beat Allen for the game-winning 3-2.

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With so many regulars out, few would have given the Canadiens a chance against the Lightning, so one might view Tuesday’s performance as better than expected. On the other hand, the Bolts snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, or given the way the season has gone, the Canadiens found another way to lose. It remains to be seen who, if any, will return to the lineup for Montreal on Thursday, but at least Laurent Dauphin has probably won another game.

To Liveblog commenters, yes, there are $ 50 million players out of the lineup, but they weren’t exactly winning with more hands in the deck, either.

3. “I don’t see anything good that DD and his coaching staff have done this year. Perhaps the work of Richardson with Romanov? Even with a poorly built team like this, I think it’s fair to say they have underperformed. A coach’s job is to bring out the best in his team and hopefully get over it. It has not happened anything like that. I agree, he must go at the end of the season. ” -James Toth

2. “Very entertaining, unfortunately a good result as far as the future is concerned.” -Curtis Ault

1. “Wow, I’ve seen it all, the Canadiens were the best team for 58 minutes, but the real Canadiens showed up late in the game. That’s the kind of season it’s been. “-Ryan Katz