Moser scores in OT as Lightning beat Canadiens 3-2 in Game 2 and tie first-round series

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) J.J. Moser scored 12:48 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, tying the first-round playoff series at 1-1.

The series shifts to Montreal for two games, with Game 3 set for Friday night. Game 4 is Sunday.

Brandon Hagel had a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, assist and a fight, and teammate Nikita Kucherov also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots.

The Lightning had lost four consecutive home playoff games and 10 of the past 11, dating to Game 4 against Colorado in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and 11 of the previous 12 playoff games that went to overtime.

Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens. Jakub Dobes finished with 31 saves.

Moser scored his first career playoff goal following an icing call, taking the puck off a faceoff win by Anthony Cirelli, skating around a stick check attempt by Kirby Dach and beating Dobes with a wrist shot from inside the left faceoff circle.

“We worked on faceoff plays and the puck kind of squirts out,’’ Moser said. “I tried to keep it in, skate with it and all of a sudden it opens up. I took it down and take a shot.’’

Kucherov forced overtime at 12:33 of the third period, collecting a deflected puck off the stick of Hagel and scoring on a wrap-around. The goal was the first playoff goal for Kucherov since April 19, 2023, a span of 17 postseason games.

“(Hagel) had a puck, shot the puck on the net,’’ Kucherov said. “I picked it up behind the net and put it in.’’

Hagel sparked the Lightning, scoring the opening goal 8:40 into the first period, assisting on the tying goal and fighting Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky - who had a hat trick in first game of the series - in the second period.

“Whatever it takes to win,’’ Hagel said. “Sometimes it’s going to take fighting, and sometimes it’s going to take scoring goals. I was lucky enough to squeak one by and then (Kucherov) made a good play. Obviously a good feeling just that we won tonight.’’

After taking the first game in overtime, Montreal took a lead into the third period, getting a power-play goal from Hutson – the fourth power-play goal of the series for the Canadiens – at 16:11 of the first period and a go-ahead goal from Anderson with 1:24 left in the second.

But the Canadiens were unable to capitalize on a power play chance with 2:15 left in regulation and Tampa Bay carried that momentum into overtime where the Lightning outshot Montreal 9-0.

“It would have been nice to get two (wins),’’ Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis said. “I felt like, after two periods, I felt we were so close of getting two (wins), especially the way we were playing. It just kind of got away from us a little bit. We didn’t play with the puck a lot. And I feel we carried that into overtime, too. When you keep giving them the puck, you’re just rolling the dice a little bit.’’

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