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.”
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
