After a scoreless third period, the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning are headed to overtime for a third-straight time in Game 3.
The series is tied 1-1 after Juraj Slafkovsky and J.J. Moser scored overtime winners in Games 1 and 2.
Alexandre Texier and Kirby Dach scored for the Canadiens, while Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point countered for the Lightning.
Texier scored the game’s first goal at 4:53 of the period for his first of the playoffs, taking a pass from Zachary Bolduc and wristing it over the shoulder of Andrei Vasilevskiy to earn the 1-0 lead.
Point found the equalizer on the power play shortly after as he wired a one-timer past Jakub Dobes for his first of the postseason, tying the game at 1-1.
Hagel gave the Lightning their first lead 4:47 into the second frame. After a turnover at centre ice, Tampa took the puck back into the Habs’ zone, and Hagel was able to fire a bouncing puck past Dobes for his fourth of the series.
Dach evened the score at 12:43 when his wrist shot bounced off a Lightning defender in front and slipped through Vasilevskiy’s five-hole for his first of the postseason.
Cole Caufield had his best scoring chance of the series with a breakaway early in the third but fanned on his shot attempt in front of Vasilevskiy and remains without a tally in the series.
After scoring three power play goals in the Game 1 victory, the Canadiens have gone cold with the man advantage and are now one for their past eight after going 0-for-4 on Friday night.
The Lightning had their own chance to take the lead on the power play after Josh Anderson was called for high-sticking, but were unable to convert, making them 1-for-5 on the man advantage. Anderson got a breakaway after his penalty expired, but Vasilevskiy stood tall once again, stopping the Canadiens’ third breakaway opportunity in the game.
