With just nine regular-season games left apiece, the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning are staring at a very important game against each other Tuesday night on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Following a weekend that featured two comeback wins, the Lightning (46-21-6, 98 points) climbed back atop the Atlantic Division standings with Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Newly-acquired Corey Perry — in his second stint with the Lightning (2021-23) — tallied the tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel set the stage for Perry’s eventual game-winner by each hitting the net for the 35th time, a career-high-tying effort by Hagel.
Ace goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy got the night off after stuffing the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Saturday, which turned the netminding over to Jonas Johansson.
The 30-year-old backup had not backstopped a victory since Jan. 12 when he made 20 saves in a 5-1 road rout of the Philadelphia Flyers, but against Nashville, Johansson allowed just two goals, both strange and unstoppable.
Joakim Kemell scored his first NHL goal when he propelled the puck across the line after being shoved into Johansson and into the net by Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak. Later, Filip Forsberg’s long shot deflected in off Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde and Charle-Edouard D’Astous.
In only his 22nd start, Johansson was rock-solid on the other 29 shots.
“It’s not an easy situation … but man, did he battle in the first period for us,” Perry said of the backup goalie’s inactivity behind Vasilevskiy, a strong Vezina candidate. “All night he kept us in the game and made some big saves. You can’t say enough about what he did.”
The efforts of Perry and Johansson allowed the club to move back into first place due to the Lightning having a game in hand on the Buffalo Sabres (45-21-8, 98 points).
Tampa Bay plays one more back-to-back, at Buffalo and Ottawa, next month, so Johansson (11-9-2, 3.21 goals-against average, .886 save percentage) should get at least one and maybe two more starts in the final 2 1/2 weeks to keep Vasilevskiy fresh before the playoffs.
Following those two games is a trip against the third-place Canadiens (42-21-10, 94 points) on April 9. Montreal must continue to play inspired with the No. 1 wild-card-holding Boston Bruins (92 points) right behind them.
Coach Martin St. Louis’ group is the hottest team in the NHL, winners of a team-high five straight contests, and riding outstanding play from a top line that produced all three goals in Sunday’s 3-1 win at the Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing beside captain Nick Suzuki and fellow winger Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield has 46 goals, nine more than his previous high set last season.
While goals make headlines, Slafkovsky, the 2022 No. 1 overall pick, has continued to grow an all-around game.
“It’s having the trust in our vision for him,” St. Louis said of the 22-year-old Slovakian. “I think that’s rare for an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old. … We tried to convince him slowly, but I think it starts with the trust from the player to see that vision, which I don’t think happens all the time.”
Slafkovsky has 28 goals, second-best for Montreal, and 64 points while playing in all 73 contests.
Added St. Louis: “I feel there’s more to Slaf’s game than just playing a skill game.”
The Habs are 0-1-1 against the Lightning this season and have been outscored 11-5.
