Music: {allcanada} 3 Keys: Golden Knights at Canadiens, Game 4 of Semifinals

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Golden Knights at Canadiens

8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS

Montreal leads best-of-7 series, 2-1

The Vegas Golden Knights look to even the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Semifinals with a win in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal on Sunday.

The Canadiens took the lead in the series with a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 3 on Friday. Forward Josh Anderson tied the game 2-2 after a miscue by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with 1:55 remaining in the third period, then scored the winner at 12:53 of overtime.

Robin Lehner was in the starters net during the morning skate but Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer would not confirm if he would replace Fleury.

"We've got an opportunity tonight to win a game and grab control of this series again going home, so I think your playoff mentality always has to be short memory and get ready for the next one," DeBoer said. "We did a lot good things last game, didn't result in a win. Let's throw that game out there again tonight. I would expect a better result if we can do that."

Corey Perry said the Canadiens understand the importance of extending their series lead. Teams that take a 3-1 lead are 69-1 (.986) winning a best-of-7 NHL semifinal series.

"We were a little slow to start that game in Game 3," the Montreal forward said. "We started to find our legs as the game went on but (the) first half of that game, that's not how we play. We're on top of pucks, we're on top of people, we're moving the puck quick. So we'll just get back to that and hopefully have another good start like we did out in Vegas (in Games 1 and 2)."

Here are 3 keys for Game 4:

1. Stone, Pacioretty must step up

Mark Stone led the Vegas Golden Knights in scoring during the regular season with 61 points (20 goals, 41 assists) and Max Pacioretty was second with 51 points (24 goals, 27 assists). The two forwards have combined for one point, an assist by Pacioretty in Game 3, in the first three games of the series. Pacioretty has eight shots on goal and Stone has five, so there have been chances. They will have to rediscover their scoring touch if the Golden Knights are to advance.

2. Canadiens to adjust without Ducharme

With Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme not behind the bench because of a positive COVID-19 test, assistant Luke Richardson took over for Game 3. Richardson normally runs the defense but now the forwards will have to get used to his in-game instructions and tactics as well.

"I think I speak for all the defensemen when I say we'd all go through a wall for Luke and I think that's the best compliment you can give a coach," Ben Chiarot said. "We'd go through a wall for him because we know he'd go through a wall for us. He's a player's coach."

3. Fast start for Golden Knights

The Canadiens recipe for success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been simple: Get off to good starts to avoid chasing the game. Montreal entered Game 3 having scored first in eight of their previous nine games and went 8-1 over that stretch. It was a different story in Game 3. Vegas outshot Montreal 30-8 in the first two periods and opened the scoring but Carey Price kept the score tied 1-1.

"Obviously [Price is] a good goalie, so he's going to stop a lot of pucks," Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud said. "We just got to keep firing away and obviously not get frustrated."