The Tampa Bay Lightning flipped the script and the series on Sunday night, storming back with a dominant third period to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round matchup. The win knots the series at 2-2 and shifts momentum back to Tampa Bay heading into a pivotal Game 5.
It was Brandon Hagel who authored the comeback, delivering two clutch third-period goals to give him a playoff-leading six in the postseason. His equalizer came just 1:40 into the period on the power play, finishing a crisp centering feed from Nikita Kucherov.
Then, with 4:43 remaining, Hagel struck again this time deflecting a Kucherov shot past Jakub Dobes to give Tampa Bay its first lead of the night. The go-ahead goal came shortly after a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage, showcasing the Lightning’s relentless pressure.
The Lightning’s top unit powered the rally. Jake Guentzel sparked the comeback late in the second period, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with just 54 seconds left off a feed from J.J. Moser. Guentzel added an assist, while Kucherov and Moser each recorded two helpers.
In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside 16 shots, including several key stops late as Montreal pressed with a power-play opportunity in the final minutes.
Montreal had seized control in the second period with a quick offensive burst. Zachary Bolduc opened the scoring, finishing a long pass from Kaiden Guhle while fighting through contact in front.
Minutes later, Cole Caufield fresh off a 51-goal regular season netted his first of the series on the power play, redirecting a slick pass from Nick Suzuki to make it 2-0.
But after dominating early, the Canadiens couldn’t hold off Tampa Bay’s surge. Dobes finished with 17 saves but faced sustained pressure late.
After three straight overtime games to open the series including Montreal’s Game 3 win on Lane Hutson’s OT blast—the Lightning finally ended one in regulation, and in dramatic fashion.
Now tied 2-2, the series shifts back to Tampa for Game 5 on Wednesday night, where momentum and perhaps control of the series will be on the line.
