Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Tampa Bay Lighting on Friday night, looking to win their fourth game of the playoffs, securing a series win in the process.
It was a hard-fought game, par for the course, but in the end, the Lightning emerged with a 1-0 overtime victory.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Wild Start
The game opened with a heavy dose of excitement, though you’d be hard-pressed to argue it was beautiful hockey. More than anything, the teams exchanged fairly sloppy shifts, leading to several scoring chances in the process.
The Lightning earned the majority of the quality shots, establishing an early 5-0 advantage at 5v5 in that very important statistical category, though Yanni Gourde was unable to find the back of the net when Jakub Dobes almost gifted him a goal.
Gourde misses a wide open net after Dobes bobbles the puck. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/vzuDMNUTz6
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 1, 2026
It wasn’t a particularly physical period, at least compared to previous games, as the break-neck speed ensured there were very few whistles, and consequently, not many opportunities for post-whistle scrums.
That being said, Juraj Slafkovsky did seize an opportunity to drop Brandon Hagel when it came around. For the record, the hit was not penalized.
Juraj Slafkovsky levels Brandon Hagel. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/AaeM5zukep
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 1, 2026
Calling All Habs
The first round story has been filled with unlikely heroes, which is why Phillip Danault’s goal-saving play in the second period was far from surprising.
It was, however, the epitome of an exciting play, not to mention yet another reminder why the Habs re-acquired Danault in the first place: defensive acumen.
Phillip Danault saves a sure goal! Wow.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 2, 2026
#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/zV6ExgEoJq
Veteran Trumps Rookie
The best scoring chance for the Canadiens came late in the third period, when rookie Ivan Demidov was given two great opportunities to open the scoring, but Andrei Vasilevskiy was in the midst of his best game of the series, and shut him down with relative ease.
Andrei Vasilevskiy robs Ivan Demidov twice in a row. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/2KSl6qD8hE
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 2, 2026
Deciding Goal
As has been the case all series, the teams were unable to dictate the tone for long stretches, leading to yet another tightly-contested game. This led to yet another session of anxiety-inducing playoff overtime, where Lightning forward Gage Goncalves played the hero for the Lightning, securing a 1-0 win, not to mention a seventh and final game of the series.
GAGE GONCALVES WINS IT IN OT, THIS ONE IS GOING TO A GAME 7!!!! 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/fBdLyhwwsN
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 2, 2026
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday, facing the Tampa Bay Lighting in Game 7, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
