3 Rounds is a three-part series. Writers select what they feel is the most important individual match-up in the upcoming playoff series and give it an in-depth preview. The second piece is a mid-series assessment of that match-up. In the final installment, we analyze how the match-up contributed to the outcome of the series. If our match-up isn’t the difference-maker, we’ll explore the match-up that DID make the difference.
Three of the four times the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning met this season ended in a 2-1 scoreline. All three times it was after regulation that the game was settled, two of them in a shootout. The fourth game that the two played ended in a 3-1 victory for the Lightning, ironically their ultimate record in the season series.
These miniscule scorelines are indicative of the matchups between these two teams and how important, and rare, goals become. When this is the case most turn their attentions to the goalscorers, and there is no shortage of them in this series: Max Pacioretty, Thomas Vanek, Valtteri Filppula and Steven Stamkos to name a few.
Instead, the spotlight should shift directly to the men preventing the puck from entering the net in the first place. In this case, the undoubtable MVPs of both of these team’s seasons. They are the ones who have been the heroes of the meetings between these two so far, and there is no indication things will be any different in the playoffs.
Carey Price vs Ben Bishop? or Lindback? or Gudlevskis?
One of, if not both, Ben Bishop and Carey Price will be nominated for the Vezina Trophy this year. Both have had the best seasons of their career, with Bishop being the key to an upstart Tampa team that surprised just about everyone.
Bishop missed the last couple of games of the regular season with an injury, and his status is unclear for the playoffs. But considering he has not been ruled out for any games yet he is still Tampa’s starter for all intents and purposes.
Price is the elder statesmen of the two, and is a far more known commodity. But he still had plenty to prove entering this season. So far he has done that in a more than satisfactory manner. Price is 33-20-5 with a 2.36 GAA and a save percentage of .925. Add 5 shutouts, and let us not forget the small deal of the Olympic gold for Canada, and Price has had a career year.
Against the Lightning this year Price has been superb. Despite his 1-1-2 record (effectively 1-3 for playoff purposes), he has posted a .956 save percentage and a 1.42 GAA. He also made 131 saves, the most he made against any team this season. Some would argue that this was partially because he was playing in front of Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, who was in charge of selecting Canada’s Olympic roster.
But Price still has plenty to prove in this year’s playoffs: particularly the idea that he is not good under pressure. His performance for Team Canada will only divert the attention so much if he has another poor playoff campaign. It is the last question in the career of Carey Price and the Canadians need him to answer it correctly.
Bishop has been similarly brilliant this year, and has numbers that are very similar to Price’s. He posted a record of 37-14-7 with 5 shutouts (same as Price), a 2.23 GAA and a .924 save percentage. As his record suggests, it was undoubtedly on his shoulders that the Bolts made the playoffs.
While Price was superb against the Lightning, Bishop was even better against the Canadiens. He went 3-0-1 with a .962 save percentage and a 0.94 GAA. The 101 saves he made against Montreal were the third most he made against any team. The way he has played against the Habs this season is hauntingly similar to Craig Anderson, the man who effectively eliminated the team last season.
Bishop, however, is completely unproven in the playoffs. He only has one game of AHL playoff experience to his name and therefore it is questionable as to whether he will be able to withstand the pressure in his first outing. But if he proves to be a playoff natural the Lightning could surprise even more people in the post season.
Now the aforementioned elephant in the room, it is not certain Bishop will even be between the pipes when the season starts. That could pose a huge problem, as Anders Lindback has been pretty questionable so far this season. With a 7-12-2 record, a 3.05 GAA and a .888 save percentage the Lightning will be hoping he can heal quickly.
Kristers Gudlevskis, the Latvian Olympic hero, is next in line for the Lightning and was superb in his first NHL start. But the fact that he only has one NHL start under his belt makes him a high risk option that likely won’t be used unless Tampa has their back against a wall.
The Canadiens-Lightning series will likely be a low scoring affair, where every goal is incredibly crucial. That means that one of Carey Price or Ben Bishop will likely be the difference maker for their team in this series.
The play of both will determine not only the winner of this series, but ultimately how far their respective teams go in the 2013-14 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Series Predictions From Our Hockey Department:
Max Vasilyev (93% correct last year): Lightning in Seven Games.
Mitchell Tierney (64% correct last year): Canadiens in Seven Games.
Ben Kerr (57% correct last year): Canadiens in Six Games.
Russel Mackenzie (57% correct last year): Lightning in Seven Games.
Aaron Wrotkowski: Canadiens in Six Games.
Ken Hill: Canadiens in Seven Games.
Charlie Clarke: Canadiens in Six Games.
Jacob Cohen: Canadiens in Five Games.
Shawn Wilken: Canadiens in Six Games.
Dan Rocchi: Lightning in Six Games.
Critistino Simonetta: Canadiens in Six Games.
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