Game 6 Tough Pill, But Not Close to the Ending

The Montreal Canadiens played a near-perfect home game in Game 6. They loaded the slot, hit posts, blocked shots, and spent most of the night doing everything you’d want from a desperate playoff team. And somehow, they still lost 1–0 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning because Andrei Vasilevskiy decided he wasn’t letting anything past him, and a loose puck ended up on Gabe Goncalves’ stick for the one finish that mattered.

That’s a tough way to go down. You could feel it in the building. The Bell Centre was loud, engaged, and fully in it right to the end. And the Canadiens matched that energy in every way except the final score.

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The Canadiens Can Win Game 7 on the Road

But here’s the thing: this is exactly why there’s still a real reason for hope heading into Game 7 in Tampa. This series hasn’t been a gap in quality; it’s been a coin flip dressed up as a playoff war. Six games, all tight. Four of them went to overtime. Everything has been decided by inches, rebounds, and moments.

This isn’t a case of one team getting outplayed—it’s two teams dragging each other through every shift, waiting to see who blinks first.

And last night? Montreal did a lot right again. Jakub Dobeš was excellent. He made 32 saves in an overtime loss, which tells you everything you need to know about his night. The skaters did their part, too. They blocked shots, stayed disciplined structurally, and didn’t give up many clean second chances.

A couple of pucks rang iron. A couple of bounces didn’t go their way. That’s hockey. Sometimes the work is there, but the finish line just doesn’t show up.

There’s a Lot for This Young Habs Team to Be Encouraged By

That’s actually the encouraging part. If you can go into a building like the Bell Centre, play that well, and still push a team like Tampa to overtime, you’re not hanging on—you’re right there with them. That matters going into a Game 7 on the road.

Tampa is still Tampa. The crowd will be loud, the moment will be big, and Vasilevskiy won’t suddenly become easier to beat because it’s Game 7. That’s the reality. However, the pressure cuts both ways. The home team knows it’s their season on the line, too. That can tighten things up just as much as it loosens them.

The Canadiens Have to Keep Playing Their Game

For Montreal, the formula doesn’t need to change much. Keep it simple. Win battles. Get inside. Don’t give away easy rush chances. They need to keep doing what they’ve done all series—that is, turning chances into chaos around the net instead of settling for low-percentage looks from the outside.

Special teams could tilt it too. No unnecessary penalties, and if the power play shows up, that’s where one swing might be enough. And Montreal’s first line really hasn’t taken over a game yet. That could be the hidden x-factor.

Last night’s loss hurt. But it didn’t feel like a game that exposed anything new or fatal. It feels like another chapter in a series where nobody has been able to pull away. And that’s what Game 7 is.

It should be ugly, tight, and emotional hockey where one bounce changes everything. Montreal has already shown it can live in that world.

Related: Canadiens’ Toughest Call Might Be Coming at the Worst Time