Here are my three takeaways from Wednesday’s 3-2 Montreal Canadiens win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5.
1- Gallagher gets Habs going
Sometimes the story writes itself, and the most predictable thing about Wednesday’s game was that Brendan Gallagher was going to score. Time and time again, Martin St. Louis has pushed the right buttons, and inserting Montreal’s most experienced playoff player into the lineup for the first time since the final game of the season paid off immediately.
On his first shift, on his first shot, Gallagher cleaned up the garbage in front of the net, something he’s made a career out of. The longtime Canadien may be on the back nine of his career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be valuable to a young team.
He may not have the same pace or speed he once did, but you know exactly what you’re going to get. He’s tenacious, difficult to play against, and gives absolutely everything he has. It’s hard not to feel good seeing him rewarded with a big goal.
2- Matheson misplays
Mike Matheson had a shift similar to the one Kirby Dach had in overtime in Game 3, where multiple mistakes led to a goal against. The final error was an attempted shot that simply can’t miss the net, something every player is taught at a young age.
The chances of beating Andrei Vasilevskiy clean from that spot were already slim, and missing the net turns it into an automatic breakout the other way. Not only that, but the Canadiens had the lead and were in control, with Tampa’s top players on the ice. That’s a moment where the cliché applies, get pucks deep and manage the situation.
Instead, Jake Guentzel, who leads the series in points, beats Jakub Dobes five-hole and gives the Lightning life heading into the third period yet again. Matheson has been logging heavy minutes, and it’s starting to show. He’s incredibly valuable to this blue line, but no one will benefit more from the return of Noah Dobson than him.
3- Lane Hutson has been Montreal’s best player
Tampa Bay’s top players have delivered. Montreal’s have been quieter, with the exception of Lane Hutson, who has clearly been their best player through five games.
He’s been excellent defensively, an area of his game that often gets overlooked, and it’s fair to say Tampa’s top players don’t find him easy to play against. But his biggest impact comes offensively, especially in key moments.
In Game 3, it was the overtime winner with a booming slap shot. Tonight, it was a perfectly executed stretch pass, using his eyes as deception to spring Alexandre Texier in full flight, who slips it past Vasilevskiy for the winner.
Hutson’s size will always be a talking point, and until he proves it over a long playoff run, people will question whether he can hold up. But so far, he’s answered every challenge. There’s no reason to think that will stop now.
He’s now on a five-game point streak, and what’s most impressive is that he’s doing in the playoffs exactly what he did in the regular season, in games that are much harder to play.
