Montreal's faceoff engine ground Florida into a third-period shell and Caufield finished what Demidov started.
Montreal's faceoff dominance (56.9%) and a 1/4 power play in a 3–4 SO game reveal the structural gap between a playoff-locked team and a bubble franchise scraping for points. Centre Bell forced Florida into a game it could match defensively but never control territorially.
⚡TURNING POINT
Demidov's power-play goal 54 seconds into the second period erased Florida's lead before the Panthers could consolidate any structure around it. Conceding on the penalty kill that early in the middle frame stripped Florida of the lead-protection posture it needed and handed Montreal the territorial initiative for the rest of regulation.
🏆WHY MTL WON
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Faceoff dominance at 56.9% gave Montreal consistent zone entry control, translating directly into 13 home shots in the third period versus Florida's 6 — the shift that produced both regulation-tying and winning sequences.
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The power play converted at 25.0% (1/4), creating the equalizer that reset the game's leverage at a critical juncture.
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Dobes conceded 0.30 goals below league average on 33 shots — in a four-goal game decided by one shootout goal, that margin was enough to hold the margin.
📉WHY FLA LOST
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A 43.1% faceoff rate meant Florida ceded zone possession repeatedly, making defensive structure reactive rather than imposed.
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Florida's power play went 0/2, leaving two opportunities unconverted against a team they needed extra offense against.
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Generating 33 shots without converting more than three regulation goals reflects a finishing failure, not a volume problem.
Three Stars
Cole Caufield1st
MTL, R
0G 1A 1PSOG 2scored the shootout winner
His assist on the Demidov power-play goal initiated the equalizing sequence, and his shootout conversion closed the game.
Ivan Demidov2nd
MTL, R
1G 0A 1PSOG 4TOI 20:19
His power-play goal 54 seconds into the second erased the Florida lead and shifted territorial control toward Montreal for the remainder of regulation.
Lane Hutson3rd
MTL, D
0G 1A 1PSOG 2TOI 25:44
His ice time led all skaters in the game, and his assist on the Suzuki tying goal with 21 seconds left in regulation prevented Florida from escaping with two points.
·Momentum Shift
Florida generated 9 shots to Montreal's 6 in the second period, sustaining offensive pressure after the Demidov equalizer. Montreal responded with a 13–6 shot advantage in the third, a tactical inversion that produced two goals and reflected the home side's ability to impose territorial dominance when the game demanded it.
