The Montreal Canadiens came up agonizingly short Wednesday in their against-all-odds campaign to end Canada鈥檚 28-year Stanley Cup drought.
Instead, it was the Tampa Bay Lightning successfully defending their Cup title, edging the Habs 1-0 at home in a physical, hard-fought nailbiter to claim the series four games to one.
The game鈥檚 only goal came after 33 scoreless minutes, when Ross Colton鈥� playing in his first Stanley Cup final 鈥� tipped home David Savard鈥檚 pass as it drifted through the crease behind a surprised Carey Price.
Price left the net in the game鈥檚 final minute to give the Canadiens an extra attacker, but it was to no avail.
The loss extends the championship deficit for the Canadiens, whose last Cup victory 鈥� the last time a Canadian team claimed the game鈥檚 holy grail 鈥� came at the end of the Lightning鈥檚 debut season in 1993.
鈥淚 played on a lot of really good teams with a lot of really good guys 鈥� it鈥檚 hard right now, sorry,鈥� an emotional Brendan Gallagher said afterward, struggling to contain his disappointment.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got so many players that worked their entire career to get to this point. And it鈥檚 a tough pill to swallow.鈥�
Bolts netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 shots en route to the victory, his fifth straight series-clinching shutout win, and collected the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for his trouble. Price turned away 29 shots.
Both the Habs and the Lightning went 0-for-3 on the power play.
鈥淭his group has a lot of character and were up against a lot of adversity this year and we proved a lot of people wrong 鈥� and in a tough year, to boot, where things weren鈥檛 normal,鈥� Shea Weber said after the game.
鈥淭he guys stuck together and battled hard and obviously, you know, I wouldn鈥檛 change it for anything and I鈥檓 super proud of these guys.鈥�
For some of Montreal鈥檚 younger superstars, the unlikely campaign was a rare chance to experience professional hockey at its pinnacle, a teachable moment they can only hope will present itself again.
鈥淭his is what you play for, to have that opportunity 鈥� once, twice, maybe even if that 鈥� in your career,鈥� young star forward Cole Caufield said after the team鈥檚 pre-game skate.
鈥淥bviously, you can get pretty stressed out in times like these, but this is you playing hockey, the best game in the world, and you can鈥檛 take it for granted. But you鈥檝e got to enjoy every moment you can.鈥�
Cue the champagne!!!!!!!!!! 馃嵕 pic.twitter.com/Oz4r6wH2b3
鈥� Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 8, 2021
Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme was similarly contemplative.
鈥淵ou have to embrace those moments and embrace those challenges,鈥� Ducharme said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 part of hockey, it鈥檚 part of life. That鈥檚 the way we handle it.鈥�
James McCarten, The Canadian Press
