Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens — Match Details

21 April 2026 at 23:00

3 – 2

After OT

P1: 1–1P2: 0–1P3: 1–0OT: 1–0

NHL · Season 2025

Match Summary

Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Montreal Canadiens 3:2 after ot. The match was played in NHL 2025. League standings: Tampa Bay Lightning #3, Montreal Canadiens #4. Score by period: P1: 1–1, P2: 0–1, P3: 1–0, OT: 1–0.

Match Context

Stanley Cup Playoffs — Eastern Conference First Round, Game 2

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Benchmark International Arena. Tampa Bay had dropped Game 1 in overtime to Montreal and needed a home win to avoid going to Bell Centre 0-2.

Pre-Match Analysis

Tampa Bay Lightning Form

Tampa Bay lost a heartbreaker in Game 1 — a Juraj Slafkovsky overtime hat trick — and needed a structural response from Andrei Vasilevskiy and the top-six.

Montreal Canadiens Form

Montreal arrived emboldened by Slafkovsky's Game 1 hat trick; Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield were finding chemistry.

Head to Head

The franchises met in the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, which Tampa Bay won.

Match Report

Brandon Hagel opened the scoring at 8:40 of the first period (assists: Guentzel, Cernak), only for Lane Hutson to even it at 16:11 on the power play after a Suzuki-Caufield setup. Josh Anderson put Montreal ahead at 18:36 of the second (Danault, Evans). With his team trailing in the third, Nikita Kucherov tied it at 12:33 from a Brandon Hagel feed. In overtime, J.J. Moser slid a puck past Jakub Dobes at 12:48 — the first career playoff goal of his career, and an overtime winner.

Turning Point

Kucherov's tying goal at 12:33 of the third period — Hagel found him at the back post and Tampa Bay's top line saved the night with the season on the line.

Tampa Bay evened the best-of-seven series 1-1 and avoided the 0-2 hole. Moser became the first player in Lightning history with his first career playoff goal being an overtime winner.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens Head to Head Results

Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens have met 88 times — Tampa Bay Lightning won 51, Montreal Canadiens won 37, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2008. Tampa Bay Lightning leads the head-to-head with 51 victories from 88 meetings. A combined 488 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 5.55 per match (266 for the home side, 222 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 80 matches (91%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 85 games (97%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 4–7 in 2024.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Drawn

Montreal Canadiens

Goals: 266Goals: 222

Recent Meetings (88)

1 May 2026Montreal Canadiens0 – 1Tampa Bay LightningNHL

29 Apr 2026Tampa Bay Lightning2 – 3Montreal CanadiensNHL

26 Apr 2026Montreal Canadiens2 – 3Tampa Bay LightningNHL

24 Apr 2026Montreal Canadiens3 – 2Tampa Bay LightningNHL

19 Apr 2026Tampa Bay Lightning3 – 4Montreal CanadiensNHL

9 Apr 2026Montreal Canadiens2 – 1Tampa Bay LightningNHL

31 Mar 2026Tampa Bay Lightning1 – 4Montreal CanadiensNHL

28 Dec 2025Tampa Bay Lightning5 – 4Montreal CanadiensNHL

10 Dec 2025Montreal Canadiens1 – 6Tampa Bay LightningNHL

9 Feb 2025Montreal Canadiens3 – 5Tampa Bay LightningNHL

More results

Standings

Tampa Bay Lightning sit #3 and Montreal Canadiens are #4 in the NHL table heading into this match.

Western Conference

#	GP	Won	Lost	Pts
1Colorado Avalanche	82	48	16	121
2Dallas Stars	82	38	20	112
3Minnesota Wild	82	31	24	104
4Vegas Golden Knights	82	30	26	95
5Edmonton Oilers	82	32	30	93
6Utah Mammoth	82	33	33	92
7Anaheim Ducks	82	26	33	92
8Los Angeles Kings	82	22	27	90
9San Jose Sharks	82	27	35	86
10St. Louis Blues	82	33	33	86
11Nashville Predators	82	28	34	86
12Winnipeg Jets	82	28	35	82
13Seattle Kraken	82	26	37	79
14Calgary Flames	82	27	39	77
15Chicago Blackhawks	82	22	39	72
16Vancouver Canucks	82	15	49	58

Eastern Conference

#	GP	Won	Lost	Pts
1Carolina Hurricanes	82	39	22	113
2Buffalo Sabres	82	42	23	109
3Tampa Bay Lightning	82	40	26	106
4Montreal Canadiens	82	34	24	106
5Boston Bruins	82	33	27	100
6Ottawa Senators	82	38	27	99
7Pittsburgh Penguins	82	34	25	98
8Philadelphia Flyers	82	27	27	98
9Washington Capitals	82	37	30	95
10Detroit Red Wings	82	30	31	92
11Columbus Blue Jackets	82	28	30	92
12New York Islanders	82	29	34	91
13New Jersey Devils	82	29	37	87
14Florida Panthers	82	32	38	84
15Toronto Maple Leafs	82	23	36	78
16New York Rangers	82	25	39	77

Atlantic Division

#	GP	Won	Lost	Pts
1Buffalo Sabres	82	42	23	109
2Tampa Bay Lightning	82	40	26	106
3Montreal Canadiens	82	34	24	106
4Boston Bruins	82	33	27	100
5Ottawa Senators	82	38	27	99
6Detroit Red Wings	82	30	31	92
7Florida Panthers	82	32	38	84
8Toronto Maple Leafs	82	23	36	78

Central Division

#	GP	Won	Lost	Pts
1Colorado Avalanche	82	48	16	121
2Dallas Stars	82	38	20	112
3Minnesota Wild	82	31	24	104
4Utah Mammoth	82	33	33	92
5St. Louis Blues	82	33	33	86
6Nashville Predators	82	28	34	86
7Winnipeg Jets	82	28	35	82
8Chicago Blackhawks	82	22	39	72

Pacific Division

#	GP	Won	Lost	Pts
1Vegas Golden Knights	82	30	26	95
2Edmonton Oilers	82	32	30	93
3Anaheim Ducks	82	26	33	92
4Los Angeles Kings	82	22	27	90
5San Jose Sharks	82	27	35	86
6Seattle Kraken	82	26	37	79
7Calgary Flames	82	27	39	77
8Vancouver Canucks	82	15	49	58

Metropolitan Division

#	GP	Won	Lost	Pts
1Carolina Hurricanes	82	39	22	113
2Pittsburgh Penguins	82	34	25	98
3Philadelphia Flyers	82	27	27	98
4Washington Capitals	82	37	30	95
5Columbus Blue Jackets	82	28	30	92
6New York Islanders	82	29	34	91
7New Jersey Devils	82	29	37	87
8New York Rangers	82	25	39	77

Match Analysis AI

Moser's First Career Playoff Goal Comes in Overtime — Lightning Even the Series

J.J. Moser scored at 12:48 of overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Tuesday at Benchmark International Arena. Brandon Hagel had a goal and an assist, Nikita Kucherov tied it at 12:33 of the third period, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of 27 to keep Tampa Bay alive after a Game 1 overtime loss. Moser is the first player in Lightning history with his first career playoff goal as an OT winner.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Montreal Canadiens 3-2 (OT) (1-1, 0-1, 1-0 — 1-0)

Goals: 9. Hagel (Guentzel, Cernak), 53. Kucherov (Cirelli, Hagel), 73. Moser (Cirelli) – 17. L. Hutson (Suzuki, Caufield, PP), 39. J. Anderson (Danault, J. Evans).

Goalies: Vasilevskiy (25 saves on 27) – Dobes (31 saves on 34). Shots: 34-27 TBL.

/series: 1-1/

Hagel Strikes, Hutson Answers

Tampa took the lead at 8:40 of the first when Brandon Hagel cashed a Guentzel feed off the rush — Erik Cernak picked up the secondary assist for what was a sweet redirect after Tampa's neutral-zone speed. Montreal answered on the power play at 16:11 — Lane Hutson on the receiving end of a Nick Suzuki cross-ice setup, with Cole Caufield's traffic causing Vasilevskiy to lose his sightline.

Anderson's Lead, Kucherov's Tying Strike

Josh Anderson put Montreal ahead at 18:36 of the second after a Danault-Evans setup, beating Vasilevskiy on a one-timer from the slot. The Lightning trailed entering the third with their season on the line. Hagel found Kucherov at the back post at 12:33, and the captain wired it home for a 2-2 game.

"Just take your time and take a shot," Moser said. "We talked about putting a lot more pucks on net."

Moser Buries It in OT

Overtime began with both teams pressing. At 12:48 of the extra session, Anthony Cirelli won a board battle and slid the puck to Moser in the high slot. The defenseman snapped a wrist shot past Dobes — the first career playoff goal of his career, and an overtime winner. The Benchmark International Arena erupted.

"When there are obstacles in the way, they'll try and get through it," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said postgame.

What It Means

Tampa Bay evened the series 1-1 and avoided the kind of road trip to Montreal that turns a season into folklore. The series shifts to Bell Centre on Friday with Slafkovsky still riding his Game 1 hat trick into a hostile road environment. The Lightning's championship core has been here before — and Moser, with one swing, just made his name part of the franchise's playoff history.

Player Ratings

9.3

J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Overtime winner at 12:48 — slid a puck past Jakub Dobes from the slot. First career playoff goal, and an OT winner.

9.0

Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Goal in the first period and primary assist on Kucherov's tying strike — the kind of two-way 200-foot game Tampa needs.

8.7

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

25 saves on 27. Held Montreal off in overtime with the series swinging on every shift.

8.5

Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens)

Power-play goal at 16:11 of the first period — converted a Suzuki-Caufield setup with the unflappable poise of a 22-year-old in his second playoff run.

Match Videos

NHL Game 2 Highlights | Canadiens vs. Lightning - April 21, 2026

NHL Playoff Highlights | Canadiens vs. Lightning | Game 2 | April 21, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score of Lightning vs Canadiens in Game 2?

Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime (1-1, 0-1, 1-0 — 1-0).

Who scored the overtime winner?

J.J. Moser at 12:48 of overtime — assisted by Anthony Cirelli.

Who scored for Tampa Bay?

Brandon Hagel (1st), Nikita Kucherov (3rd, tying goal) and J.J. Moser (OT) scored for the Lightning.

Who scored for Montreal?

Lane Hutson (1st period, PP) and Josh Anderson (2nd period) scored for the Canadiens.

Was this an OT debut for Moser?

Yes — Moser became the first player in Tampa Bay Lightning history with his first career playoff goal being an overtime winner.

What is the series state after Game 2?

The Eastern Conference First Round is tied 1-1; the series shifts to Bell Centre in Montreal for Games 3 and 4.

Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

API data: 22 Apr 2026