Moser Scores in Overtime to Give Lightning Win Over Montreal
- Mike Smith
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
J.J. Moser scored at 12:48 of overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a much-needed win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first round over the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night, 3-2. The victory evens the series at 1-1 as the best-of-seven matchup moves to Montreal Friday night.
The overtime goal completed a comeback that saw Montreal lose a one-goal lead with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Nikita Kucherov scored his first goal of the playoffs at the 12:33 mark of the third period to even things at 2-2 after Montreal controlled play the majority of the game.
First Period Fisticuffs Set The Tone
The first period began with a war of words and fists, with both teams combining for 30 minutes' worth of penalties.
Both teams brought physicality and a bit of brutality out to start the game. Bolts forward Scott Sabourin, starting for the first time in the series, lined up menacingly against Habs forward Josh Anderson on the second faceoff of the game.
Anderson was a continual target during Game 2 after running Charle-Edouard D'Astous from Game 1 with an elbow to the head.
The tension only intensified from there. The Lightning were in an early "must-win" situation after losing Game 1 in overtime on Sunday evening.
Bradon Hagel opened the scoring with a slap shot from the left circle at the 8:40 mark that caught Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes off guard. The goal was Hagel's third of the series.
Yanni Gourde and Arber Xhekaj got into a slugging match minutes later during a scrum behind the Lightning net. Both were set off, with Xhekaj getting a double-minor for roughing to Gourde's single.
Gourde defiantly went to the Bolts' penalty box, playing to the Benchmark International crowd and taunting Xhekaj along the way.
The big brawl came at the 14:20 mark, this time behind the Montreal net. By the time the dust settled, each penalty box had four players inside. An additional penalty to Kucherov for interference on Kirby Dach resulted in a Montreal power play.
The Canadiens made Tampa Bay pay for the additional penalty when Lane Hutson scored with seconds left in the power play at the 16:11 mark to tie the game at 1-1.
For the Lightning, it was the fourth goal given up on the penalty kill in two games.
Despite giving up the equalizing goal, head coach Jon Cooper appreciated the toughness his team showed in the opening stanza.
"Somebody's got to be the villain, I guess, and we're okay with that," Cooper said when asked about Tampa Bay's willingness to get tough this series. "The guys play hard, and when there are obstacles in their way, they'll try to get through it any way possible."
"If it's fighting their way through it, then so be it."
Momentum Shifts Montreal's Way
Montreal took control of the game in the second period with a strong defensive effort and persistent offensive efforts against Tampa Bay's sometimes-struggling defense.
Hagel and Game 1 hero Juraj Slakovsky dropped gloves at the 5:14 mark of the period, and were both set off with five-minute fighting majors. Just as Gourde had done in the first period, Hagel sent the arena into a loud frenzy as he mocked Slakovsky from the penalty box.
Outshooting Tampa Bay 21-17 in the first two periods, Montreal went ahead at the 18:36 mark of the second period. Anderson scored his second goal of the series when he was able to split three Bolts defensemen right in front of the crease to lift the puck from a Phillip Danault pass over Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The breakdown on the Lightning defense has been an issue in recent play, and Montreal took advantage, silencing the raucous crowd of 19,092.
Kucherov Gets The Lightning Back in the Game
Tampa Bay's issues with penalties continued to play a factor in Game 2. Ryan McDonagh was sent off the ice late in the second period for roughing Montreal's leading scorer, Cole Coufield.
The Bolts fought off the ensuing Habs power play, but continued to struggle to make plays in their own offensive end.
That is, until Kucherov did what he does best: be Nikita Kucherov.
After an uncharacteristic turnover by Montreal in their own end, Hagel flung a wrist shot from the same spot where he scored earlier in the game; however, Dobes blocked it to the rear boards.
Kucherov collected the puck and quickly scored on a wrap-around, beating Dobes to the post by a fraction of a second.
Tie game, 2-2.
"[Hagel] had a puck, shot the puck on the net," Kucherov said. "I picked it up behind the net and put it in."
With the crowd back in the game, Tampa Bay continued to put pressure on Dobes and the Montreal defense. Time and time again, the Bolts were denied.
Then the penalty issue came up again. This time, it could have been catastrophic.
Sabourin was sent off with 2:15 left in regulation when he was initially called for a five-minute major for interfering with Anderson and dropping him to the ice. A subsequent review reduced the penalty to a minor for two minutes.
With thoughts of Sunday's loss due to costly penalties at the back of their minds, Tampa Bay's penalty kill unit held fast, sending the game into overtime. The penalty kill limited Montreal to one goal in four chances.
Moser Ties The Series
The Lightning came out in overtime and played some of their best hockey in weeks. Tampa Bay recorded nine shots in overtime, as Montreal went shotless.
Moser collected an offensive zone faceoff draw from Anthony Cirelli and carried it from left to right over the blue line, keeping it in the zone.
Moser drove towards the Montreal net and snapped a wrist shot from the right circle past an unsuspecting Dobes to send the series to Montreal tied at 1-1.
The goal was the first of Moser's playoff career.
"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."
"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."
For the first time in the series, Cooper was all smiles.
"You know, we're in a fun series right now. Two games have gone to overtime," Cooper said. "You can tell it's a couple teams that care, and this one's far from over."
Three Stars of the Game
J.J. Moser, Tampa Bay. Scored the game-winning goal in overtime to get the OT monkey off the Bolts' back.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Stopped 25 of 27 shots and made some key saves to keep the Lightning in the game.
Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay. Scored a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, an assist, and a fighting major. The first in Lightning history in the playoffs.
Up Next
After a few days of rest, practice, and travel to Montreal for Game 3, both teams will be ready for another round on Friday at 7 pm.
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