The subtle Danault play that fueled Montreal's comeback in Tampa

The Canadiens fell 5-4 in a shootout against the Tampa Bay Lightning after a completely wild third period.

Montreal outshot Tampa Bay 36-22 and finished the night with a 62.7% efficiency in the faceoff circle.

The Habs were trailing 4-0 before scoring four goals in the third period. Juraj Slafkovsky finished with two goals and one assist, while Ivan Demidov added a goal and an assist.

In this type of game, Danault does not jump off the scoresheet, but he makes his impact elsewhere.

He won 13 of 18 faceoffs, for a 72.2% success rate. He played 16:52, including 0:18 on the power play and 1:22 on the penalty kill.

He was also deployed against big names, and his plus-minus ended at -1. At one point, he even drew a penalty when Charles-Édouard D'Astous held him.

Since his return to Montreal on December 19, this profile has quickly carved out a clear role. At 32 years old, he brings a type of presence that is often measured through puck possession wins.

The departure of Christian Dvorak left a hole at center. On top of that, on Saturday, the Canadiens confirmed that Jake Evans will be out for 4 to 6 weeks.

Evans had five goals and ten points in 34 games, with a 54.1% faceoff percentage.

All of this pushes Danault even more into the heart of tight, high-leverage situations.

On Sunday, Montreal still picked up a point in the standings, and that matters in the Atlantic. The Lightning have 47 points, the Canadiens have 46. Sometimes, a night comes down to simple numbers. Danault's 72.2% is one of them.