One game at a time.
Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme brought out the blender in Game 4. Only one line wasn’t adjusted while Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak were inserted into defence.
It worked.
Josh Anderson, now playing alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, opened the offence giving Montreal its first lead in the series off a great feed from Suzuki, but the play all started with a strong defensive stick by Brett Kulak in Montreal’s zone.
Then tied at 1, in the third period, Romanov found the mesh as the defencemen scored his first goal in 51 games to give Montreal back the lead.
Up 2-1, Tampa tied it and forced overtime which started with a double minor kill with Shea Weber — who was sensational in the game — in the penalty box.
The Canadiens with the kill for their captain.
From there, Anderson had a repeat performance from Game 3 against Vegas in the semifinal, where he scored two goals, including the OT winner.
Montreal’s adjustments and additions each made an impact as the Canadiens staved off elimination.
That leads back to Tampa Bay, where it will once again be one game at a time.