Down 2-0 in the series, the Montreal Canadiens needed to play their most desperate game so far in the series. They did. The Lightning knew they needed to match that desperation level. For much of the night, they didn’t. But ultimately, it didn’t matter. Thanks to a buzzer-beating goal from Tyler Johnson, the Lightning now lead the series, 3 games to none. Still, if the Lightning hope to eliminate the Canadiens in Game Four on Thursday, they are likely going to need to play a much better overall game.
The first period wasn’t lopsided, though. Instead, it was evenly-played.