Montreal came out strong in last night’s game, looking like a much better team than in Game 1, but still lost to Tampa Bay 3-1.  Montreal outshot Tampa Bay 43-23, but haven’t been able to solve the puzzle of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.  The first period ended scoreless, and Tampa Bay opened the scoring 6 minutes into the second period.  Montreal tied it up at the halfway mark of the period, but Tampa Bay again took the lead with 0.3 seconds left in the period!  Tampa Bay scored an insurance goal after Montreal’s bad giveaway behind their own net with 4:18 left, and that was all the scoring.  Tampa Bay now leads the series 2-0, with Montreal unable to score more than 1 goal in either game so far.  With the win, we’re now giving Tampa Bay an 87.0% chance of winning the Stanley Cup.

The teams now head to Montreal for Game 3 on Friday.

Yesterday’s Game

Stanley Cup Final

Montreal 1 at Tampa Bay 3

• Tampa Bay leads series 2-0
• Tampa Bay now has an 87.0% chance of winning the Stanley Cup, up from 75.5%

Series schedule:

• Monday, June 28: Montreal 1 at Tampa Bay 5
• Wednesday, June 30: Montreal 1 at Tampa Bay 3
• Friday, July 2: Tampa Bay at Montreal
• Monday, July 5: Tampa Bay at Montreal
• Wednesday, July 7: Montreal at Tampa Bay (if necessary)
• Friday, July 9: Tampa Bay at Montreal (if necessary)
• Sunday, July 11: Montreal at Tampa Bay (if necessary)

New simulation results:

• Tampa Bay has a 87.0% chance of winning (▲11.5)
  • In 4 games: 29.2% (▲10.9)
  • In 5 games: 30.5% (▲5.2)
  • In 6 games: 15.5% (▼1.3)
  • In 7 games: 11.7% (▼3.4)
• Montreal has a 13.0% chance of winning (▼11.5)
  • In 7 games: 8.1% (▼2.1)
  • In 6 games: 5.0% (▼4.9)
  • In 5 games: 0.0% (▼4.4)
  • In 4 games: 0.0%

Friday’s Game

Stanley Cup Final

Tampa Bay at Montreal

• Tampa Bay leads series 2-0
• Tampa Bay has an 87.0% chance of winning the Stanley Cup

Playoff Matchup – Stanley Cup Finals

Tampa Bay (3rd in Central, 75 pts) vs. Montreal (4th in North, 59 pts)

Tampa Bay leads series 2-0

Chances of winning: Tampa Bay 87%, Montreal 13%

McDonald NHL Power Ratings:

• Tampa Bay: 1581
• Montreal: 1544

Playoffs so far:

• Tampa Bay:
  • First round: Defeated Florida in 6 games
  • Division final: Defeated Carolina in 5 games
  • Semi-Final: Defeated New York Islanders in 7 games
• Montreal:
  • First round: Defeated Toronto in 7 games
  • Division final: Defeated Winnipeg in 4 games
  • Semi-Final: Defeated Vegas in 6 games

Series schedule:

• Monday, June 28: Montreal 1 at Tampa Bay 5
• Wednesday, June 30: Montreal 1 at Tampa Bay 3
• Friday, July 2: Tampa Bay at Montreal
• Monday, July 5: Tampa Bay at Montreal
• Wednesday, July 7: Montreal at Tampa Bay (if necessary)
• Friday, July 9: Tampa Bay at Montreal (if necessary)
• Sunday, July 11: Montreal at Tampa Bay (if necessary)

Simulation results:

• Tampa Bay has a 87.0% chance of winning
  • In 4 games: 29.2%
  • In 5 games: 30.5%
  • In 6 games: 15.5%
  • In 7 games: 11.7%
• Montreal has a 13.0% chance of winning
  • In 7 games: 8.1%
  • In 6 games: 5.0%
  • In 5 games: 0.0%
  • In 4 games: 0.0%