Friday Caterwaul: Florida Panthers Offseason Open Forum

Happy Friday, Florida Panthers fans. Game 3 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final will be played tonight at Bell Centre. Despite getting outplayed on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning were able to pull out a 3-1 victory in Game 2 thanks to a 42-save performance from Vezina front-runner Andrei Vasilevskiy and an opportunistic offense that took advantage of some defensive mistakes by the underdog Montreal Canadiens.

Carey Price has been Montreal’s top player during the playoffs, but he has struggled against the Bolts in the first two two games, posting a 4.06 GAA and a .840 save percentage. The Habs will need to find some goals to overcome the combination of the Lightning’s offense and Vasilevskiy’s goaltending and win Game 3.

After missing the first two games of the series due to a positive COVID-19 test result, Habs head coach Dominique Ducharme is expected to be back behind the bench tonight.

Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens 8 p.m. NBCSN

• Get your pregame on at Raw Charge and Eyes On The Prize/

Remainder of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final schedule

Game 4: Monday, July 5, 8 p.m., Lightning at Canadiens, NBC

Game 5: Wednesday, July 7, 8 p.m., Canadiens at Lightning, NBC (if necessary)

Game 6: Friday, July 9, 8 p.m., Lightning at Canadiens, NBC (if necessary)

Game 7: Sunday, July 11, 7 p.m., Canadiens at Lightning, NBC (if necessary)

NHL News

According to his agent, Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres are nearing a resolution over how to treat a herniated disk following a lengthy discussion with general manager Kevyn Adams (Sportsnet)

The Nashville Predators sent veteran forward Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings for two draft picks. (On The Forecheck)

Key Upcoming Dates

July 17: Teams (except for Vegas) submit protected player lists to NHL

July 18: Seattle Kraken exclusive free agent negotiating window opens

July 21: Expansion Draft selections announced

July 23: NHL Entry Draft (Rounds 1)

July 24: NHL Entry Draft (Rounds 2-7)

July 28: NHL free agency opens

LBC Poll

Who will win tonight?