The Montreal Canadiens scratches Jesperi Kotkaniemi; Tampa Bay Lightning’s Alex Killorn was kicked out

The Montreal Canadiens shuffled their lineup and lineup into the 4th match of the Stanley Cup final, facing a potential sweep in the hands of Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

The Canadiens, who chose the faster lineup, scratched 20-year-old striker Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who has eight points in 19 playoffs, in favor of striker Jake Evans, appearing for the first time since the 1st game. Montreal also sat defenders Jon Merrill and Erik. Gustafsson in favor of Brett Kulak and rookie Alexander Romanov, neither of whom has seen action since June 14 in the 1st round of the third round against Vegas.

Meanwhile, Lightning went with the same line-up as they had won Game 3 when striker Alex Killorn could not return due to a leg injury. Coach Jon Cooper had called Killorn a game time decision that is “closer” to the return when he injured his leg in Game 1, but was ruled out shortly before the puck was dropped.

Montreal also shuffled its front lines. Leading scorer Tyler Toffol, who has not scored a point in the final, was expected to skate on the sidelines in the middle with Phillip Danault and winger Brendan Gallagher. Pier Josh Anderson takes Toffol’s place with young referees Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Pier Artturi Lehkonen, who will be replaced by Toffoli on the Danault line, is skating with Evans and Paul Byron, combining the line that coach Dominique Ducharme liked for his speed and inspection ability.

“We just hope something different awakens the team. Find a way to create energy,” Byron said. “Offensively, we haven’t created as much as we have [previously]. For us, the big start to the game is huge for our team. If we can [get a] great start, playing with management, we show how good our team can be. “

The Canadiens have scored five goals in the first three matches against Lightning. They have not been able to score the first goal in any match. Montreal are in the playoffs 11-2 when he scores the first goal, and 1-6 when the opposition scores the first goal. Lightning, in turn, are 15-2 when they score the first goal, and 0-4 when they don’t.

The scratch on Kotkaniemi raised eyebrows as the 20-year-old is seen as a key part of the Canadiens ’future. Ducharme said “it’s not a penalty” for everything that happened in the series, even though Kotkaniemi was minus-2 and only played 11 minutes and 38 seconds in game 3.

“It’s nothing against him or anything else, but we have the depth and the options. That’s the way it is,” Ducharme said the catalyst for his decision was a desire to unite with Evans Lehkonen and Byron.

One name that is not among the Canadiens is still striker Tomas Tatar, the team’s fourth-best scorer in the regular season, who has collected 57 goals in 198 regular season with Montreal over the past three seasons. He hasn’t performed against Toronto since the first round of the playoffs, with Canadiens fans wondering why he’s been away during goal scarcity.

“I like tuna. Tuna is a good player,” said Ducharme of Tatar. “It simply came to our notice then [line] combinations and playing at that time of year. At this point, he hasn’t called in a while. It may be an even tougher place [to return]. But it’s all about the team and what the guys can bring together. I like the suitability of our four lines tonight. “