J.J. Moser scored 12:48 into overtime, giving the host Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday and evening their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at one win each.
Tampa Bay fully controlled the game in the extra period and was rewarded when Moser found the net. He gained the puck off a faceoff win in the offensive zone, worked his way to a shooting position at the top of the right circle and wired a top-corner shot for his first career playoff tally.
Montreal, which won Game 1 in overtime, was outshot 9-0 in overtime of Game 2.
The series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Friday.
Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel collected a goal and an assist. Nikita Kucherov tallied once, Anthony Cirelli collected two assists and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for Tampa Bay, which snapped a collection of playoff swoons.
The Lightning had lost four consecutive and 10 of 11 postseason home games, plus seven straight overtime affairs during Stanley Cup playoff action.
Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson tallied for the Canadiens, while goalie Jakub Dobes stopped 31 shots, including eight in overtime.
The clubs traded goals in a chippy first period. Hagel put the Lightning on the board at 8:40 with his team’s first shot on target. The puck came to Hagel at the top of the left circle, and he unloaded a top-corner slap shot that for his third goal of the series.
Hutson tied the clash less then six minutes later with Montreal’s fourth power-play goal in the series. Hutson sent a one-timer from the point position that ricocheted off a defender and into the net for his first career playoff tally.
Anderson gave Montreal the lead with 84 seconds remaining in the second period. Jake Evans won a battle for the puck deep in the Tampa Bay zone and Phillip Danault chipped it to the front of the net, where Anderson was waiting to chip it into the cage for his second goal of the series.
Kucherov evened the score at 12:33 of the third period. Hagel intercepted a poor clearing attempt and fired a long shot wide. Kucherov grabbed the loose puck behind the net and converted a wraparound for his first playoff goal in 17 outings. His last playoff goal came on April 18, 2023, the opener of a first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
