Tampa outmuscled Montreal for fifty-eight minutes, then lost the puck twice in forty-seven seconds and flew home without the points.
Montreal's top line manufactured a 47-second window in the final two minutes of regulation that decided a playoff-seeding clash between Atlantic division rivals. This was a game Tampa Bay controlled physically — 29 hits, 13 blocked shots — but couldn't convert into results.
⚡TURNING POINT
Slafkovský's goal at 18:56 came 47 seconds after Tampa tied it, stripping the Lightning of any psychological benefit from their late equalizer before they could regroup or generate a response. Montreal won the race back up ice, and Suzuki's second assist of the night created the finish — Tampa never touched the puck again with purpose.
🏆WHY MTL WON
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Dobes conceded 0.80 goals fewer than league average on 18 shots — in a two-goal game, that margin was the structural foundation of the win.
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Suzuki's playmaking drove both Montreal goals; his faceoff unit also held a slim edge at 52.4%, providing reliable zone entries when they mattered most.
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Caufield's five shots on goal in 17:56 generated sustained offensive pressure that kept Tampa's defense pinned and created the conditions for the late winner.
📉WHY TBL LOST
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Seventeen giveaways undermined Tampa's physical dominance — puck management failures in the neutral zone handed Montreal transition chances rather than sustained offensive zone time.
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Raddysh's late equalizer came at 18:09, leaving Tampa only 51 seconds to win a game they'd spent two periods trying to claw back into.
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Despite outshooting Montreal in net differential terms, Tampa generated only 18 shots — their physical game (29 hits, 13 blocks) consumed energy without producing offense.
Three Stars
Cole Caufield1st
MTL, R
1G5 SOG+2 in 17:56 TOI
His shot volume was the highest on the ice and his goal provided the margin Tampa spent the entire third period chasing.
Juraj Slafkovský2nd
MTL, L
1G1A3 SOG+1 in 21:23 TOI
He both created and scored the decisive goal, making him directly responsible for the winning sequence.
Nick Suzuki3rd
MTL, C
2A+1 in 22:25 TOI
Both Montreal goals ran through his stick — his playmaking was the connective tissue of every dangerous Montreal moment.
