AP Photo/Gerry BoomeMontreal Canadiens want to end a 28-year-old Stanley Cup title drought. They'll first have to find Andrei Vasilevskiy. The electric offense of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their strong defense.It turns out that the Lightning are the defending champions because of this.On Monday night, the Lightning and their star goalkeeper were a formidable foil for the Canadiens in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final. They won 5-1 thanks to Vasilevskiy's 18 saves as well as a flood of goals from the team's talented forwards.The Lightning are just three wins away of becoming champions again, thanks to the scores of Erik Cernak and Yanni Gourde, Nikita Kuchrov (two), and Steven Stamkos.Brayden point added three assists to the Lightning's cause.This one was dominated by the Lightning. The Lightning outshot the Canadiens by 27-19. They blocked 15 shots, and had a 10-5 edge in takeaways. While both teams were physical, the Lightning brought the scoring touch.The Lightning were well on their way towards securing the third Stanley Cup title in organisation history, as they performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Amalie Arena.Montreal was not without its moments. Ben Chiarot's second-period goal cut Tampa's lead in half.They were far too few to count Monday night.The Canadiens will not be too bothered by any adversity. They lost 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first round series before they advanced. They lost their first Stanley Cup Semifinal game against the Vegas Golden Knights, but won six. They are 5-1 in overtime.It has been a remarkable run and it is far from over. The Lightning were even better Monday night, all things considered.Kucherov is a great superstar. Vasilevskiy is a good netminder. It can also be loaded like the Lighting.Game 2 will be played Wednesday night at 8 PM. ET on NBCSN.
