Tampa Bay played an exceptionally structured Game 7, especially in the neutral zone. Their ability to force the puck out of Montreal’s hands, get numbers back to the puck, and quickly set up breakouts or dump-outs limited consistent Montreal zone time. Tampa was especially effective in their 1-1-3 NZFC, particularly in the 1st & 3rd periods, when controlled regroups/breakouts were more frequent. The 1-1-3 NZFC is typically more passive at the red line — although Tampa did stand hard on several occasions — but its real strength is in denying clean entries at the blue line & creating numerical support around the puck to transition into a breakout 

Having said that....

On the instances where Montreal was able to get through the neutral zone with more speed, apply pressure to the puck, and — most importantly — get 1st touch, they were able to extend possession instead of chasing pucks back into the neutral zone. On the winning goal, two Montreal players jump past their checks and earn a first touch. From there, they were able to relieve pressure by moving the puck to the top, attack the net, and the rest is history