Lightning Win 5-4 Shootout Classic vs. Canadiens

The Tampa Bay Lightning (22-13-3) won an incredibly important game in the Atlantic Division race. They won a wild and crazy game 5-4 against the Montreal Canadiens (20-12-6). The game was an instant classic between two teams near the top of the Atlantic Division, and the Lightning came out victorious despite blowing 3-0 and 4-1 leads.

Game Recap

The first period of the game was nondescript. Neither team scored any goals, but the Canadiens outshot the Lightning 11-3. There was a major fight between Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj and Lightning winger Scott Sabourin, which resulted in both players getting five minutes for fighting.

The second period was where the fun began, and it was all for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov potted two goals, one at 2:28 and another at 12:11. Nick Paul cashed in as well, scoring a goal at 14:49 to give the Lightning a 3-0 lead.

In the third period, the Canadiens finally woke up offensively. Montreal winger Ivan Demidov scored from up close at 1:06 to make it 3-1. Not even a minute later, at 1:40 in the period, Pontus Holmberg scored on a wrist shot from the left point to make it 4-1. Then the Canadiens proceeded to score three straight: the first from Juraj Slafkovský at 9:16, the second from Noah Dobson at 12:17, and the third from Slafkovský again at 19:56. With three seconds left, the Canadiens were able to tie it with their goalie on the bench.

Overtime saw a lot of action in the Lightning’s defensive end, but the Canadiens only mustered two shots, while the Lightning had just one. Kucherov almost scored his third goal of the day, but it just glanced off the inside pad of Canadiens goalie Jacob Fowler.