The Montreal Canadiens on Friday will play their first home game in the Stanley Cup Final since June 9, 1993, when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 at Bell Centre.
It will be the first Canadiens home game in the championship round at a venue other than the Montreal Forum since 1924, when they played at Mount Royal Arena and Ottawa Auditorium.
The Canadiens, who won their 24th Stanley Cup championship at the Montreal Forum in 1993, are 60-19 as the home team in the Cup Final since 1917-18, including 23-5 in the NHL expansion era (since 1967-68).
The Lightning won Games 1 and 2 in Tampa Bay by a combined score of 8-2.
“We have to win tonight,” Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli said.
Montreal hopes the return of coach Dominique Ducharme will provide a spark at home, where it will play in front of 3,500 fans per Quebec’s provincial government and public health regulations.
Ducharme missed the first two games of the Cup Final and the past six overall in a mandatory 14-day quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 on June 18.
“I don’t think the last two weeks changes what it means to me,” Ducharme said. “That’s everyone’s dream to be playing or being involved in the Stanley Cup Final. Just so happy to be back.”
Lightning forward Alex Killorn will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. He was likely injured blocking a shot with his left leg in the second period of Game 1. He missed the final 19:04 of the third period and hasn’t played since.
Forward Mathieu Joseph will again play in place of Killorn. He had four hits in 11 shifts totaling 6:23 of ice time in a 3-1 win in Game 2 on Wednesday.
“I hope to get him in a little bit more today,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of Joseph. “Again, special teams kind of dictated that, but when he’s using his speed he can really push defenses back and he’s got a good compete level. And ‘Joe’ has got skill.”
Teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 Cup Final are 26-1 (.963) winning the series. Teams that lead 3-0 in a best-of-7 series in any round are 195-4 (.980) winning the series, including 3-0 this season.
Here are 3 keys for Game 3:
1. Score first
Cooper said the Lightning shouldn’t change the way they play whether they score the opening goal of the game, but it’s clearly a factor.
Tampa Bay scored first in Games 1 and 2 and is 14-2 in playoff games when it scores first and 0-4 when it doesn’t.
The Canadiens are 11-2 in games when they score first; 1-5 when they don’t.
“When you score the first goal you lock it down more than usual,” Lightning forward Pat Maroon said. “If you’re playing with the lead you’re structurally into the game, playing smart hockey, not making too many high-risk plays, making the right play at the right time, being stronger in the [defensive] zone.
“When you’re chasing the game, when you don’t have the lead, you’re making more high-risk plays, plays you probably shouldn’t be making, turnovers and all that jazz that we talk about all the time.”
2. Canadiens pressure
Montreal was better at forcing Tampa Bay into into turnovers and poor puck management in Game 2 than they were in Game 1, when the Lightning dictated the pace and had the puck more.
The Canadiens had 43 shots on goal in Game 2, but Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 42 saves. Montreal had 19 shots in Game 1, when Vasilevskiy made 18 saves in a 5-1 win.
A repeat performance of Game 2 will give the Canadiens the best chance to win their first game of the series.
“I think we had some really good opportunities [in Game 2],” Toffoli said. “Obviously, he’s one of the best goalies in the League and it’s known. We just have to keep going. We had 40 shots or whatever it was last game, so keep getting there, getting in his face. I don’t know, just score.”
3. Adjusting to the atmosphere
The Lightning have been playing in nearly full buildings throughout the playoffs, including at home at Amalie Arena and on the road against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center, the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena, and New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.
The Canadiens have played in either empty buildings or in front of limited crowds for all but three of their 19 games in the playoffs (Games 1, 2 and 5 at the Vegas Golden Knights) because of local government and health regulations relating to COVID-19.
Cooper said it shouldn’t make a difference to the Lightning that there will be fewer fans for Game 3 because they played the entire playoffs last season in empty buildings in Toronto and Edmonton and won the Stanley Cup.
“That’s the irony, right?” Cooper said. “Last year at this time we were in the exact same spot, confined to the hotel room. The whole bubble circumstance has come full circle again. It’s crazy that we’re back in it again, but it’s something we’re most definitely comfortable with.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
