Montreal Canadiens fall 3-2 in OT to Lightning in Game 2, series tied 1-1
Posted April 21, 2026 7:06 pm.
Last Updated April 22, 2026 12:38 am.
J.J. Moser scored at 12:48 of overtime to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, evening the first-round series at one game apiece.
For the second straight game, the teams needed more than 60 minutes.
This time, it ended quickly off a faceoff in the Montreal zone. Tampa Bay won the draw cleanly back to Moser, who circled and snapped a wrist shot over the glove of Jakub Dobeš.
Hagel, Kucherov respond for Tampa Bay
Brandon Hagel opened the scoring just before the midway point of the first period, beating Dobeš with a slapshot after sustained pressure in the Canadiens’ end.
Montreal responded late in the period on the power play following a series of scrums. Lane Hutson fired a shot from the blue line past Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game 1-1. The period featured multiple altercations, with the teams combining for 38 penalty minutes.
Josh Anderson gave Montreal a 2-1 lead late in the second period, finding open space after a pair of board battles and finishing under Vasilevskiy’s arm off a pass from Phillip Danault.
Kucherov tied the game with 7:27 remaining in the third period, collecting a loose puck behind the net and scoring on a wraparound. The goal was his first in 17 playoff games, dating back to April 19, 2023. Hagel assisted on the play to complete a Gordie Howe hat trick.
JOSH ANDERSON PUTS THE HABS IN FRONT LATE IN THE SECOND ???????? pic.twitter.com/y3mSa0HHGW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 22, 2026
Missed opportunity sends game to overtime
Montreal had a late chance to win in regulation when Scott Sabourin was assessed a minor penalty for interference with 2:15 remaining after a hit from behind on Anderson. The Canadiens could not convert, sending the game to overtime.
Tampa Bay nearly ended it earlier in the extra period on a two-on-one rush, but Dobeš made the save before Moser sealed the win.
Dobeš finished with 31 saves on 34 shots. Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of 27.
Fans react to overtime loss
At a packed watch party at La Cage in downtown Montreal, the atmosphere was loud and hopeful as overtime began, before quickly turning to disappointment after the winner.
“Very sad, disappointed… We need to take the win on Friday,” said one fan. “They played a great game. They deserved to win, so it’s a tough loss.”
Another said Montreal was close to a complete effort but paid for its mistakes. “We played almost a perfect game. That what’s so bad. They really capitalized so well when we messed up, but we’ll be better Friday.”
Frustration centred on the lack of offence in overtime. “They played a great game for the first 60 minutes of the game but didn’t quite show up in overtime,” another fan said. “Going 13 minutes without a shot can’t really have that in playoff hockey, but hey, you know, seven-game series. There’s still another, at least five more to go, or rather three more to go. But you know, we’ll try to get back in there at home here on Friday night and bring some momentum here for the rest of the series.”
He also pointed to the expected impact of the Montreal crowd. “It’s gonna be electric. You know, Montreal is a hockey city where it’s a religion here. Absolutely has been for over a century. So it’s going be great seeing all these fans here. You know, great energy here tonight at La Cage. But it’s gonna be even more insane with everybody, you know, 21,000 plus in the arena, bunch more outside. Really looking forward to being part of that crowd and having a home playoff game here in Montreal again.”
Some remained defiant despite the result. “We started really strong on offence in the beginning of the game. But in overtime we actually struggled a lot to make some offensive plays. We had great defence, but at the end of the day you can’t win a game by defence. No, you need to score, you need to shoot, and we couldn’t do that.”
Even in defeat, the experience stood out for some. “I’m happy because it’s the first time for me I watch a hockey game in Canada in Montreal. Even if Montreal didn’t win, be sure that when I will come back in France, I will encourage this beautiful team of the Canadiens,” said one visitor.
Younger fans also remained optimistic. “I’m a little bit sad that the Canadiens lost,” one said, “but I think they’re going to win the next game.”
The series now moves to Montreal, with Game 3 set for Friday night and Game 4 on Sunday.
