The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday night, tying their first-round series at one game apiece after a Game 2 that turned into a fistfight as much as a hockey game. The ice was covered in gloves during a wild first-period melee, and the tone never really changed.
Scott Sabourin was in the lineup for Game 2, and Brandon Hagel found himself at the center of the bad blood again, including an altercation with Josh Anderson and a mocking croc tears gesture on the way to the penalty box. Corey Perry also fought Alex Carrier, a scene that fit the mood of a night in which Tampa Bay made its point with punches as well as goals.
That edge did not come from nowhere. The Lightning had been irritated by the way they were pushed around by the Florida Panthers last spring, and Hagel said on the eve of the playoffs that his team had done a good job showing it was not the kind of group that would be shoved aside. He repeated that idea after the win, saying the room knows it is good when it plays with emotion and that the team has 25 guys willing to leave the rink with a black eye.
Jon Cooper framed it the same way. The Lightning coach said somebody has to be the villain and his team is fine with that, adding that the players are determined and will get through obstacles any way possible, even if that means fighting their way through them. Perry said the same message more bluntly, saying the Lightning are not going to be pushed around.
What makes the series feel combustible is that Tampa Bay is not just acting out. Hagel said the group is playing with emotion on purpose, and Perry said there is a similarity to the way the team attacks games when it is engaged. The Canadiens remain a good team, and Hagel called the matchup one that will be like this the entire series before looking ahead to Montreal.
The Lightning have built their current playoff identity as a response to what happened against Florida last spring, and Tuesday night showed that feeling has not faded. If this series keeps going the way Game 2 did, the hockey will be loud, physical and personal long before it is settled.
