Cowan: Canadiens confident going into Game 7 after losing an ‘epic’ Game 6

What a game!

It didn’t end the way the Canadiens and their fans were hoping, but what a friggin’ hockey game!

Following the most exciting 60 minutes of 0-0 hockey imaginable, Gage Goncalves scored at 9:03 of overtime to give the Lightning a 1-0 win Friday night at the Bell Centre in Game 6 of their first-round, best-of-seven playoff series against the Canadiens.

Game 7 is Sunday in Tampa (6 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports) with the winner going on to face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy slides across his crease to rob Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov during second period Friday night at the Bell Centre. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens and Lightning are so evenly matched that a Game 7 seems fitting. The overall score in the series is 14-14 with four of the games decided in overtime. The teams also finished the regular season tied with 106 points.

Game 6 was a classic, with Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis saying both teams played their best game of the series.

Both goalies were outstanding. The Canadiens’ Jakub Dobes made 32 saves, while the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper called the game “epic.”

It really was.

“If you watched tonight’s game, that game didn’t need a goal,” Cooper said. “All it needed was one goal to end it and that’s how exciting it was. It was thrilling. It was epic.

“It was goaltenders making extraordinary saves, players doing things that were of grace and skill and magic and there was intensity and there were hits,” Cooper added. “It was everything and there wasn’t a goal scored yet everybody in the building was on the edge of their seats. I guess that’s how epic games become epic.”

The Canadiens are the youngest team in the playoffs and it’s impressive how they have gone toe-to-toe with the Lightning for six games.

Vasilevskiy came into Game 6 with an .880 save percentage in the series but, with his team’s season on the line, regained the form that could see the 31-year win his second Vézina Trophy this year as the NHL’s top goalie.

“Vasilevskiy definitely was the player of of the game for them,” the Canadiens’ Phillip Danault said. “And so was Dobes for us.”

Dobes, a 24-year-old rookie, improved his save percentage in this series to .916, while Vasilevskiy is now at .905.

St. Louis was right to put a positive spin on the Canadiens’ loss.

“This is one of the best games I’ve seen this young group play,” he said. “You just got to embrace the situation. Things are meant to be. I think it was meant for our growth to go play a Game 7. I think it’s going to help us pull for what’s next for us.”

Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes freezes the puck during epic Game 6 at the Bell Centre Friday night. Despite the loss, Dobes’s improved his save percentage to .916 in this series. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

The Canadiens have reasons to be positive heading into Game 7. They have already won two of the first three games played in Tampa and had a better record on the road during the regular season (24-9-8) than at home (24-15-2).

“I think we have nothing to lose,” veteran defenceman Mike Matheson said about Game 7. “Obviously, we really want it and we want to make it happen. But I think the message is to just go out there like you have nothing to lose. Leave it all out there and don’t have any regrets.

“We played well,” Matheson added about Game 6. “We had our chances, we just didn’t score. It’s going to take seven games and we’re OK with that.”

Veteran forward Jake Evans was also putting a positive spin on Game 7.

“I think all six games we’ve played well enough to win,” he said. “So we just have to look at that and run it back and give ourselves a good chance. It’s a great opportunity. We just have to look at it that way and enjoy the moment. Not put too much pressure on ourselves. Just go play and if we play the way we’re supposed to, I like our chances.

“They’ve been a top team for a long time and a Stanley Cup contender for a long time,” Evans added. “We’re up-and-coming, but I feel like we’re just as good and can win this series.”

If the first six games have proven anything, it’s that either team can can win this series. A Game 7 loss would be harder on the Lightning, who are watching their window to win a third Stanley Cup in seven years start to close after losing in the first round in each of the last three years. The Canadiens have shown in this series that their window of opportunity to win their first Stanley Cup since 1993 has now officially opened.

While many fans might have felt on the verge of having a heart attack watching Game 6, this young Canadiens team kept its composure and the players have definitely gained confidence in this series.

Canadiens’ Josh Anderson slams Lightning’s Brandon Hagel into the boards during third period Friday night. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

“We’re a confident group,” St. Louis said. “We believe in what we do, how we do it. We played our game tonight.  … You can’t buy these reps. These guys are getting unbelievable reps right now and it’s fun to watch. I keep telling them they got the best seat in the house.

“I felt we were calm through the chaos and stuff,” the coach added. “I felt like we were good. There’s no panic. We had everybody going tonight. It’s unfortunate you don’t get the result, but what a hockey game.”

Bring on Game 7.

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