The Tampa Bay Lightning gave the Montreal Canadiens a rude introduction to the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night, as a pair of third period goals from Nikita Kucherov and 18 saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy helped the defending champions cruise to a 5-1 win in Game 1 at Amalie Arena.
And the Lightning's dominant performance on home ice only reaffirmed their status as odds-on favorites and the Canadiens' status as clear underdogs.
"I just feel like Tampa's a very deep team -- obviously with Vasilevskiy in net, and I just love their forward depth," former NHL right winger Ryan Callahan told The Zach Gelb Show ahead of Game 1 on Monday. "No matter who they're throwing out there, it's continuous, and they continue to come at you. Every line's dangerous to score a goal, every line can defend, and their power play as well. They're defending champs, and I see them rolling for another Stanley Cup...
"I'll be shocked [if Montreal wins the Cup], I'll be honest with you. But, you know what, that's why we play this sport, that's why we love watching this sport. Because you never know. Even though it's a seven-game series, anything can happen. But I'd be shocked if Montreal pulls this one out. I think Tampa's got it."
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will take place on Wednesday in Tampa, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. According to NHL Stats, teams that own a 1-0 lead in the Cup Final hold an all-time series record of 61-20 (.753).
The entire NHL conversation between Callahan and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.