Canadiens catch Lightning in a bottle with another OT win to take 2-1 series lead

[p]Lane Hutson scored the game-winner on the first shot in overtime. This is now the first playoff series since the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals in 2021 to start with three straight overtime games.[/p][p]Montreal outshot Tampa 28-17 as both teams combined for 67 hits and 30 penalty minutes.[/p][embed guid="d3d84227-e7a3-489c-aadc-8b4ebaedaec7" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2047861445421842728?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Recap & Highlights[/h2][p]Both teams came out of the gate ready to fire as the scoring started within a handful of minutes after puck-drop.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/texier-alexandre/zwYLoXr4/"]Alexandre Texier[/a] scored his first of the playoffs thanks to a beautiful assist from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bolduc-zachary/Y5g6sTSL/"]Zachary Bolduc[/a] to make it 1-1. [/b][/p][embed guid="ffe2bf79-6d48-4102-8103-732b14f26c08" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047820215799386516?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]A minute after Texier's goal, goalie [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dobes-jakub/0W5FnU82/"]Jakub Dobes[/a] would commit the first penalty of the game after he got called for tripping, leaving [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tampa-bay-lightning/YVE3zk1c/"]Tampa Bay[/a] to take advantage on their first power play of the game. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/point-brayden/MJyzRByp/"]Brayden Point[/a] scored his first goal of the playoffs to tie it all up 1-1.[/b] Jake Guenztel picked up his fifth assist of the playoffs, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kucherov-nikita/CCOwSw87/"]Nikita Kucherov[/a] tallied his third. [/p][p]Point became the second-fastest player in Lightning history to reach 90 playoff points (95 games), second to only Kucherov (87 games).[/p][embed guid="9154d9e2-5d3e-4baf-b7cc-88471f99d425" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047822099805241705?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/montreal-canadiens/nu2G7VWc/"]Montreal[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dach-kirby/EPvOCbFp/"]Kirby Dach[/a] and Tampa's Kucherov would both follow up the goal with a pair of tripping penalties, each four minutes apart. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matheson-michael/M98azKW9/"]Mike Matheson[/a] (MTL) would commit a hooking penalty on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hagel-brandon/r3gaDEq6/"]Braden Hagel[/a] with just 49 seconds left in the first as Tampa carried over their power play into the second frame with 1:11 still remaining. [/p][p]Despite failing on the power play to start the second, the Lightning would strike a second time. [/p][p][b]Hagel scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to go up 2-1.[/b][/p][embed guid="48003923-e4d0-45d5-8399-67ecd2edbc7d" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047834234945970352?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Dobes committed his second penalty of the game following Hagel's goal, along with Tampa's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cernak-erik/K88z1vr1/"]Erik Cernak[/a], as both got rung up on unsportmanlike minors, leaving both teams with a 4-on-4.[/p][p]Montreal's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/demidov-ivan/pdts9jU5/"]Demidov[/a] had a breakaway chance, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vasilevsky-alexei/v3Uo3P4K/"]Vasilevskiy[/a] denied him. Demidov would record the Habs' fifth penalty of the game, giving Tampa their fourth power play. [/p][p][b]But the Habs wouldn't stay down as Kirby Dach scored his first of the playoffs to tie it up 2-2 with just over seven minutes left in the second.[/b][/p][embed guid="e220ca81-b10c-4170-af1f-6f2d589706ef" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047839235726516500?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Much like the Lightning heading into the second, the Habs would be the ones rolling into the third period on the power play following a two-minute minor for high-sticking by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raddysh-darren/dd2BLyG3/"]Darren Raddysh[/a], but nothing came from it.[/p][p]Both teams entered the third period with a combined 10 penalties for 20 minutes and eight power plays (TB- 1/4, MTL- 0/4).[/p][p]After going almost the entire first 10 minutes of the third period without a penalty, Montreal's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anderson-josh/UHtqXNeh/"]Josh Anderson[/a] would get a two-minute minor for high-sticking, but the Habs would fight off the Lightning's fifth power play of the night.[/p][p]Anderson would come out of the box on a breakaway attempt, but Vasilevskiy would deny his third 1-on-1 of the game; the second one was earlier on Cole Caufield. [/p][p]Emil Lilleberg and Zemgus Girgensons for Tampa, and Phillip Danault and Arber Xhekaj for Montreal, all got sent to the sin bin with 3:58 left in the game after a big scrum in front of the net. [/p][p]A crew had to clean up the blood from behind the net after Girgensons elbow Danault in the nose as they went down to the ice.[/p][p]Neither team got it done in regulation, as it went to overtime, where the Habs finished things off.[/p][embed guid="0fcca511-a486-49cf-8c81-4ae7ed418c78" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2047854264978976897?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]