Schedule and 2004 Results
Regular Season Records: Tampa Bay 46-22-8-6=106pts, Montreal 41-30-7-4=93pts
Game 1 on Friday, 23 Apr: Montreal loses at Tampa Bay, 4-goals-nil
Game 2 on Sunday, 25 Apr: Montreal loses at Tampa Bay, 3-goals-1
Game 3 on Tuesday, 27 Apr: Tampa Bay wins at Montreal, 4-goals-3 (OT)
Game 4 on Thursday, 29 Apr: Tampa Bay wins at Montreal, 3-goals-1

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: With their 3-goals-1 Game 4 victory in Montreal, the Tampa Bay Lightning swept the Montreal Canadiens 4-games-nil to win best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 914. In earning their first berth in best-of-7 NHL Semifinals (Conference Finals) play, the Tampa Bay Lightning improve their best-of-7 playoff series record to 3-2 and 1-1 in the NHL Quarterfinals. The Montreal Canadiens see their best-of-7 NHL playoff record fall to 71-32, and see their best-of-7 NHL Quarterfinals playoff record fall to 14-11. Series 914 is the first four-game sweep earned by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is the fourth suffered by the Montreal Canadiens. The four-game sweep in best-of-7 playoff series is the 34th in the NHL Quarterfinals, the 94th in the NHL (all rounds), and the 156th in the MLB, NBA, and NHL (all rounds).

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 914 now in Quebec province for Games 3-4, the Tampa Bay Lightning tied Game 3 with 16.5 seconds remaining in regulation, and won it 4-goals-3 with a goal 1:05 into the first overtime period to defeat the host Canadiens in Montreal. Tampa Bay thus takes a 3-games-nil lead in series 914. Officially, the tying Tampa Bay goal was recorded at 19:43 into the third period. Look for a moment at the time 19:42 into the third periods of best-of-7 NHL playoff games (i.e., one second before the tying goal in series 914 Game 3). In all NHL best-of-7 playoff series from 1939 through 2003, when a road team such as Tampa Bay trailed by one goal 19:42 into the third period, its game record was 3-339 (.0088). Before the Tampa Bay Lightning in series 914 Game 3, the three road winners in this extreme situation were the Philadelphia Flyers (in Game 6 of series 189 [in the 1968 NHL Quarterfinals] at St. Louis vs. the Blues), the New York Rangers (in Game 5 of series 278 [in the 1974 NHL Quarterfinals] at Montreal vs. the Canadiens), and the Chicago Blackhawks (in Game 4 of series 704 [in the 1996 NHL Preliminary round] at Calgary vs. the Flames). The Tampa Bay Lightning lead a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a 0-8 overall series record and a 5-3 Game 4 record.

After Game 2: The Tampa Bay Lightning increased their best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 914 lead to 2-games-nil with a 3-goals-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The Tampa Bay Lightning are leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a 5-13 overall series record and a 10-8 Game 3 record.

After Game 1: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-goals-nil in best-of-7 series 914 Game 1, thereby taking a 1-game-nil lead in their series. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have an overall series record of 1-0 and a Game 2 record of 0-1; when trailing 1-game-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have an overall series record of 15-23 and a Game 2 record of 20-18. From 1939 through the 2004 NHL Preliminary round, when an NHL team has won Game 1 of a best-of-7 playoff series 4-goals-nil, its series record is 7-1. The Game 1 four-goal margin of defeat is the largest Game 1 defeat margin ever endured by the Montreal Canadiens in their 103-series (best-of-7) NHL history.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2003-04 regular season, Tampa Bay finished 13 points ahead of Montreal. From 1939 through the 2004 NHL Preliminary round, when an NHL team led its best-of-7 playoff series opponent by 13 regular-season points, it has gone on to post a 8-7 (.533) best-of-7 series record in that series against that opponent. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 914 is the fifth best-of-7 playoff series for Tampa Bay and the 103rd for Montreal. In best-of-7 playoff series, Tampa Bay has a 2-2 series record, a 0-1 Qtrs-round series record, and a 1-3 Game 1 record, while Montreal has a 71-31 record, a 14-10 Qtrs-round record, and a 64-38 Game 1 record. Series 914 is the first best-of-7 meeting between Tampa Bay and Montreal.