The Lightning broke out of their scoring slump in a big way and ended their four-game losing streak in the process.
After netting just four goals during the skid (three of which came in one game) and enduring back-to-back shutout defeats, the Lightning tallied three first-period goals to take control of the game. During the losing streak, the Lightning hadn’t played with a lead at any point. They changed that narrative within the opening two-and-a-half minutes when Brayden Point broke around Jayden Struble and converted on an in-alone chance. He lifted the puck over Jakub Dobes at 2:27. On the goal, Jake Guentzel collected an assist, his 600th NHL point.
The Canadiens have one of the best power plays in the NHL, and the Lightning put them on a man advantage four times. The first of those occurred shortly after Point’s goal, when Pontus Holmberg was whistled for interference. Just before the infraction expired, the Canadiens attempted a drop pass in the offensive zone. The puck got past Noah Dobson’s stick and slid to center ice, just as Holmberg left the penalty box. Holmberg collected it and finished a breakaway chance, tucking a forehand between Dobes’ pads at 6:03.
The Lightning produced 14 first-period shots, 31 attempts, and numerous looks. They did well to get pucks to the net and create chaos. Holmberg almost tallied a second goal on such a sequence, but his backhander from the top of the crease hit the post. Eventually, one of those chaos plays did yield a goal. Following a goalmouth scramble, Dobes lost his stick and was unable to stop Nikita Kucherov’s right-circle one-timer at 17:12.
The Canadiens made a goalie change to start the second period, replacing Dobes with Sam Montembault. The first shot he faced got past him. Kucherov slipped a pass to Charle-Edouard D’Astous, who stepped to the low slot from the point, and D’Astous one-timed a shot through Montembeault’s pads at 2:43.
The Canadiens surged after the D’Astous goal, and the Lightning struggled to stop their momentum. Montreal outshot the Lightning, 15-4, in the frame and generated a handful of Grade-A chances. Three power plays in the period aided the surge. The Canadiens cashed in on the last of those—Oliver Kapanen finished a rebound of a Nick Suzuki shot that hit the post. The power-play goal came at 19:06, cutting the Lightning's lead to 4-1.
But the Lightning snuffed out any hope Montreal might have had early in the final frame. Darren Raddysh, playing his 200th game, roofed a shot over Montembeault’s left shoulder from the bottom of the right circle at 1:27. That goal helped the Lightning grab back momentum, and they controlled play for the rest of the game. Raddysh finished the scoring when he netted a power-play goal at 8:41.
Unfortunately, the Lightning lost Victor Hedman to injury. He left after the first period and didn’t return. But that was the only downside to an impressive win against a divisional rival.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Brayden Point — Lightning. Goal and assist.
- Charle-Edouard D’Astous — Lightning. Goal. Plus five rating.
- Jonas Johansson — Lightning. 26 saves.
