Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning — Match Details

24 April 2026 at 23:00

3 – 2

After OT

P1: 1–1P2: 1–1P3: 0–0OT: 1–0

NHL · Season 2025

Match Summary

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

Match Context

Stanley Cup Playoffs — Eastern Conference First Round, Game 3

Third overtime in three games — every minute is sudden death in Eastern First Round.

Pre-Match Analysis

Montreal Canadiens Form

W-L-W

Tampa Bay Lightning Form

L-W-L

Head to Head

Series tied 1-1 entering Game 3; previous two games each decided in overtime.

Match Report

Texier opened the scoring 4:53 into the first, Point answered on the power play, Hagel converted in the second and Dach tied it 2-2 off a McDonagh deflection at 12:43. Hutson ended it 2:09 into overtime.

Turning Point

Dach's wrist shot deflecting off Ryan McDonagh's leg and through Andrei Vasilevskiy's pads at 12:43 of the second — without that equalizer there is no overtime to win.

Montreal lead the best-of-seven series 2-1; Tampa Bay must win Game 4 at home to avoid going down 1-3.

Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Head to Head Results

Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning have met 87 times — Montreal Canadiens won 36, Tampa Bay Lightning won 51, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2008. Tampa Bay Lightning leads the head-to-head with 51 victories from 87 meetings. A combined 487 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 5.60 per match (221 for the home side, 266 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 80 matches (92%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 85 games (98%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 4–7 in 2024.

Montreal Canadiens

Drawn

Tampa Bay Lightning

Goals: 221Goals: 266

Recent Meetings (87)

29 Apr 2026Tampa Bay Lightning2 – 3Montreal CanadiensNHL

26 Apr 2026Montreal Canadiens2 – 3Tampa Bay LightningNHL

21 Apr 2026Tampa Bay Lightning3 – 2Montreal CanadiensNHL

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

22 Jan 2025Montreal Canadiens3 – 2Tampa Bay LightningNHL

More results

Standings

Montreal Canadiens sit #4 and Tampa Bay Lightning are #3 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

Hutson Walks Off Lightning in OT — Canadiens Take 2-1 Series Lead

Lane Hutson scored at 2:09 of overtime, his first slap shot of the season ripping through traffic past Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 at Bell Centre on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference First Round.

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

Goals: 4:53 Texier (Dach, Bolduc), 32:43 Dach (unassisted), 62:09 Hutson (Texier) — 7:42 Point (Guentzel, PP), 24:47 Hagel (unassisted).

Goalies: Dobes (15 saves) — Vasilevskiy (26 saves).

Series: Montreal lead 2-1.

Texier strikes first, Point answers on the power play

Texier opened the scoring 4:53 into the first period, finishing a play started by Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc to give the Canadiens an early lead in front of a roaring Bell Centre crowd. The Lightning answered just under three minutes later when Brayden Point converted on the power play, set up by Jake Guentzel.

Hagel pushes Tampa ahead, Dach equalizes

Brandon Hagel beat Jakub Dobes unassisted at 4:47 of the second period to put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1, but the lead lasted barely eight minutes. At 12:43, Dach turned back to the net along the right boards and ripped a wrist shot that deflected off Ryan McDonagh's leg, slipped between Vasilevskiy's pads, and tied the game 2-2 — the equalizer that made overtime possible.

Hutson: "Might have been my first slap shot all year"

For the third straight game, the series went to overtime — and for the second straight time, Montreal won it. Hutson took a feed from Texier out of the right corner and unleashed a slap shot from above the right face-off circle that found its way through bodies and past Vasilevskiy at 2:09. "That honestly might have been my first slap shot all year," Hutson said afterward. "I saw some space, lots of bodies, and just tried to shoot it as hard as I could."

What it means

Montreal lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 returning to the Bell Centre on Sunday. Dobes finished with 15 saves on 17 shots; Vasilevskiy stopped 26 of 29. Tampa Bay's veteran core — Point, Hagel, Guentzel, Vasilevskiy — has been outplayed in the high-leverage moments two games running, and another loss would have the back-to-back contender staring at a 1-3 hole.

Player Ratings

9.2

Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens)

First slap shot of the season, scored at 2:09 of overtime to win Game 3 — defenceman steps up in the biggest moment.

8.6

Kirby Dach (Montreal Canadiens)

Goal and an assist; tying goal at 12:43 of the second period off a McDonagh deflection rescued the Canadiens.

8.4

Alexandre Texier (Montreal Canadiens)

Opened the scoring at 4:53 of the first, primary assist on Hutson's overtime winner.

7.8

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)

26 saves on 29 shots — kept Tampa Bay alive into overtime but couldn't stop the slap shot through traffic.

Match Videos

Lightning vs. Canadiens | NHL Playoff Highlights | Game 3 | April 24, 2026

NHL Game 3 Highlights | Lightning vs. Canadiens - April 24, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score of Canadiens vs Lightning Game 3?

Montreal Canadiens 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 in overtime.

Who scored the overtime winner?

Lane Hutson at 2:09 of overtime, on a slap shot through traffic, assisted by Alexandre Texier.

Where was Game 3 played?

Bell Centre in Montreal.

Who scored for Tampa Bay?

Brayden Point on the power play in the first period and Brandon Hagel in the second.

How many saves did Jakub Dobes make?

Dobes stopped 15 of 17 shots faced for the Canadiens.

What is the series score now?

Montreal lead the Eastern Conference First Round series 2-1.

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

API data: 25 Apr 2026