Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens battle Tampa Bay Lightning to thrilling 2-1 win - BERITAJA

With only 4 games near successful the season, the Montreal Canadiens knew it was a conflict for home-ice advantage successful the playoffs, if they could conclusion the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2nd clip successful a week.

Second spot successful the Atlantic Division wasn’t connected the statement arsenic a guarantee, but a triumph would spell a agelong way.

The Canadiens played the crippled of the twelvemonth winning 2-1.

Wilde Horses 

It was clean. It was pure. It was the first 50th extremity for a Canadiens subordinate successful 36 years. It was vintage Cole Caufield.

It was, about appropriately, scored connected a walk from Nick Suzuki who was fed by Juraj Slafkovsky. It’s a infinitesimal successful Canadiens history. It could not person been sweeter.

Though it is added unit to effort to get your 50th astatine home, it was cleanable that it was, because Caufield sewage to bask the biggest roar astatine the Bell Centre successful 5 years. The ovation crescendoed erstwhile Michel Lacroix announced the tally immoderate 5 minutes later, and the ovation still didn’t stop.

But location was besides a remainder of the crippled to beryllium played, and was it afloat of delicious storylines.

The crippled victor was scored pinch infinitesimal and 4 seconds remaining. Suzuki stole the puck, past fed Slafkovsky successful beforehand of the net. He redirected it home. It was a milestone extremity for him arsenic well.

Slafkovsky is having his first 30-goal campaign. For Suzuki, it’s his 98th constituent of the play arsenic he besides hunts down a milestone.

The Canadiens made the determination to not return thing from the Lightning. After each whistle, erstwhile the Lightning sewage anyplace adjacent to Jakub Dobes, the Canadiens punished the attacker who tried to effect Dobes. Physically, they refused to backmost down.

As the crippled wore on, an important instruction was learned: When you don’t backmost down from Tampa, it becomes evident that you person been backing down from them before. This didn’t go a crippled filled pinch dislike and anger, because Tampa became this. They were ever this. This crippled showed elements of a donnybrook brewing because the Canadiens joined them successful the war.

The worth of a subordinate who could compete and intimidate roseate exponentially. Josh Anderson was hitting everything that moved and sewage nether the tegument of Nikita Kucherov. One of his teammates tried to protect Kucherov, and Anderson pounded him to the crystal pinch his fists.

Declan Carlile was severely overmatched. Anderson landed rustle aft blow, and erstwhile Carlile went to the ice, Anderson conscionable kept connected punching.

The worth of Jayden Struble went up. He was high-sticked successful the first play and went for treatment, but he kept opening the trim done retired the game, because he kept getting successful altercations. Emil Lilleberg had to time off the crippled because Struble hit him up truthful badly, and he was wearing a afloat wired cage. It didn’t matter. Lilleberg was cooked.

Even Lane Hutson and Corey Perry had an altercation that didn’t magnitude to a fight, but it was close. The apical statement was successful a skirmish, the 2nd statement was successful a skirmish, the 3rd statement too, and the 4th line. If a Canadiens subordinate was successful the lineup, they were protecting their teammates — and their reputations.

Head Coach Martin St. Louis made them cognize that this was for illustration a playoff game, and the book of the Washington Capitals playoff bid wasn’t going to hap again.

Establishing your desire to time off it each retired there, your willingness to conflict for each inch, and guidelines up for your teammate is simply a uniquely lucky moment. In nary different athletics must you harvester accomplishment pinch intimidation, the measurement lucky demands it of you.

In hockey, it’s not capable to person the skills that thief to people a extremity aliases extremity one. A player’s worth increases pinch a definite intangible that is difficult to define, but who has it and who does not is ever clear and obvious.

The Canadiens, successful this one, took the roadworthy to having it. It was beautiful to watch.

Wilde Goats

Head Coach Martin St. Louis said that the Canadiens were level successful their past 2 games. It happens complete a agelong play wherever the mind aliases the assemblage doesn’t cooperate. However, against the Lightning, they needed to beryllium all-in, some mentally and physically.

And they were. That doesn’t mean it will each activity out, though. The powerfulness play was zero for seven, and they will person to find solutions for what is ailing it. This powerfulness play has been struggling lately successful a mighty way. It’s excessively static. They besides are not engaging about capable for possession.

Wilde Cards

With the Saskatoon Blades’ seventh crippled overtime upset complete the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Medicine Hat Tigers person a astonishment force successful their 2nd information series.

The defending champions will look the Calgary Hitmen starting astatine Co-Op Place successful Medicine Hat, Alta., connected Friday night. Bryce Pickford should beryllium capable to person an fantabulous series, considering their head-to-head record.

The Tigers hit the Hitmen 7 of 8 games this season. They person only 2 losses successful the past 16 games complete Calgary. They routinely put 5 connected the committee erstwhile they play Calgary.

With the Tigers heavy favoured to triumph their adjacent round, the hold is apt to beryllium longer for the presence of Pickford to the Laval Rocket. He’s already signed a contract. He will travel arsenic soon arsenic the Tigers are vanished pinch their playoffs.

The rumor is that the Tigers are the fifth-ranked squad successful the nation, and it is conceivable that Pickford could beryllium playing inferior lucky until mid-June.

The biggest chance for Pickford and the Tigers to suffer would beryllium successful the East Conference final, wherever powerhouse Prince Albert is expected to advance. The Raiders person drawn Saskatoon successful the 2nd round. It should beryllium easy.

However, they play the games for a reason, and thing could hap successful the playoffs successful hockey.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde connected globalnews.ca aft each Canadiens game.