Overview
- Tampa Bay beat Montreal 3-2 in overtime Tuesday to even the first-round series at 1-1.
- Defenseman J.J. Moser netted his first playoff goal 12:48 into OT off an Anthony Cirelli faceoff win, capping a 9-0 Lightning shot edge in the extra frame and snapping their recent overtime skid.
- A bruising Game 2 featured heavy scrums and a Brandon Hagel Gordie Howe hat trick, and Montreal still cashed another power-play goal as frequent penalties opened the door.
- Nikita Kucherov forced overtime with a third-period wraparound, his first postseason goal since April 2023, after Montreal had led on goals from Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson.
- The series shifts to the Bell Centre for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday, with Victor Hedman still considered doubtful and Tampa leaning on added grit from Scott Sabourin and lineup tweaks like Declan Carlile.