Canadiens Edge Lightning 4-3 in OT Thriller Opener
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By Nemanja Petković
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Summary:
- Juraj Slafkovsky scored three times, including the overtime winner, to seal Game 1 for the Montreal Canadiens.
- Martin St. Louis’ side edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in a tight playoff opener.
- Lightning’s playoff struggles continue as the team looks to avoid another early exit.
Juraj Slafkovsky’s performance on Sunday night stood out, with the 22-year-old scoring his third power-play goal just 1:22 into overtime, giving the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the first-round 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Slafkovsky Capped the Night
The Slovak player fired a slap shot from the left circle, defeating Andrei Vasilevskiy to the far side for the hat trick and capping a night where he proved decisive at key moments.
Josh Anderson also scored once and had a second goal ruled out midway through the second period after video review determined his stick was above the crossbar.
Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes’s 20 saves steadied the team.
Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel scored twice. Darren Raddysh added another in a game that stayed tight from start to finish.
The Canadiens struck first, with their fourth line opening the scoring in the first period. Anderson flipped a top-shelf shot into an open net to make it 1-0.
Tampa Bay responded in the second, with Raddysh tying it before Hagel quickly made it 2-1 just 29 seconds later after picking up a loose puck near the crease.
Slafkovsky brought Montreal level late in the second, finishing a precise pass from Ivan Demidov. He then gave his team a 3-2 lead in the third, only for Hagel to answer with a power-play goal, a tip-in off a pass from Jake Guentzel, to tie it 3-3.
That set the stage for overtime, where Juraj Slafkovsky sealed the win.
Montreal, Chasing Its First Stanley Cup in Over Three Decades
The result adds further pressure on Tampa Bay, which has now lost its eight home playoff game and has also been eliminated in the first round in each of the past three seasons after falling short of a three-peat in 2022.
Montreal, coached by Martin St. Louis, is chasing its first Stanley Cup since 1993 and its first playoff series win since 2021, when Tampa Bay defeated them in the Final.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday night, April 21, 2026.
