The Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday suffered a 3-2 loss in Game 5 of their First Round matchup with the Montreal Canadiens at Benchmark International Arena.
Montreal now leads the series 3-2.
Montreal snagged a lead three minutes into play, but Tampa Bay tied the score in the second period on Dominic James’ first Stanley Cup Playoffs goal. The teams then traded goals from Kirby Dach and Jake Guentzel for an even score through 40 minutes.
The Canadiens broke the tie 66 seconds into the third period on a shot by Alexandre Texier, the eventual game-winner.
Four players had points for Tampa Bay, which got 21 saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Game 6 is set for Friday in Montreal.
Scoring Summary
First period
MTL 1, TBL 0
3:00 Brendan Gallagher (1) - Alex Newhook
The visiting Canadiens started fast in Game 5 and took a 1-0 lead on a rebound chance for Brendan Gallagher.
Shots on goal: TBL 8, MTL 6
Second period
MTL 1, TBL 1
6:49 Dominic James (1) - Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde
Rookie Dominic James took advantage of a 2-on-1 rush, scoring on a shot from the right circle.
MTL 2, TBL 1
13:00 Kirby Dach (2) - Zachary Bolduc, Kaiden Guhle
The Canadiens regained their lead quickly when Kirby Dach drove to the net and scored on a second look.
MTL 2, TBL 2
17:23 Jake Guentzel (2) - Unassisted
Tampa Bay tied the game with another 2-on-1 rush, this one ending with Jake Guentzel’s goal through the legpads of Dobes.
Shots on goal: TBL 15, MTL 11
Third period
MTL 3, TBL 2
1:06 Alexandre Texier (2) - Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki
Montreal retook the advantage with an Alexandre Texier shot in the left faceoff circle.
Total shots: TBL 40, MTL 24
