Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price looks down as he skates off the ice after losing Game 2 of their NHL second round playoff hockey series to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Montreal, Sunday, May 3, 2015.The Canadian Press
At the same stage in last year's playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, the Tampa Bay Lightning got served an object lesson in killer instinct.
The Habs scored just 11 seconds into game three – a long bomb from P.K. Subban sprang Rene Bourque for a breakaway – and cantered to victory.
Within days, the Bolts were clearing out their lockers.
"They had a 2-0 lead coming back home, they didn't take their foot off the gas," said Tampa coach Jon Cooper.
Fast-forward 12 months and it's the Lightning who are in the 2-0 driver's seat; Cooper didn't have to look very far to find a concrete example of what it looks like to mash the accelerator pedal.
Tonight's third game in the series (7 p.m., CBC, TVA Sports) will be the sixth meeting between the teams in less than 60 days and the first of back-to-back games, which comes with physical challenges.
"Can't stand here and say I'm a big fan of back-to-backs," said Tampa captain Steven Stamkos.
Following brisk morning skating sessions, players from both sides insisted the focus is solely on tonight as the Habs attempt to dig themselves out of trouble, while the Lightning shovels will be busy trying to make the hole deeper.
After two days spent recuperating, and in Montreal's case ruminating over a 6-2 loss in game two, the clubs were mostly trying to channel their energy and find playoff-level focus.
The Habs talked about the benefits of rest – "We need to play fast to have success," said winger Alex Galchenyuk – and the need to avoid a familiar pitfall: penalties.
The Tampa power-play suddenly roared to life in the last game, the Habs will doubtless be encouraged to know such a thing is possible. They are 1-for-26 in the playoffs with the man-advantage.
"We've got the right Xs and Os, we've just got to make the plays," said centre Lars Eller, who was sent out more regularly on the power play in game two.
It may help matters that offensively-minded centre David Desharnais has recovered from a nasty bout of stomach flu that required a short hospital visit and kept him out of game two. Desharnais was still a little croaky after three days of no solid food and intravenous drips.
"I'm ready to go," said Desharnais, who mock-seriously blamed the illness on teammate Dale Weise, with whom he went out on Saturday night.
The task for Desharnais and his teammates is a considerable one.
Tampa is a tough out in their building – "We were the best home team in the NHL for a reason," Stamkos said – and the stakes are considerable.
History shows that NHL teams who win the first two in a seven-game set on the road win the series 78 per cent of the time.
There's an interesting wrinkle, however: According to whowins.com, at the quarter-final stage of the NHL playoffs, the team leading 2-0 and playing game three at home only wins half the time (it has happened on 24 occasions, the record is an even 12-12).
Game on.