Lightning Even Series with Statement Win in Montreal

The Tampa Bay Lightning walked into a hostile Bell Centre for Game 4 knowing the series was nearly on the line, and walked out with a 3-2 win that evened the first-round matchup at 2-2.

Jake Guentzel put Tampa Bay on the board late in the second period, cutting Montreal’s lead to 2-1 during 4-on-4 play at 19:06. Guentzel got behind Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble while finishing a pass from J.J. Moser.

“That was huge 4-on-4,” said Yanni Gourde. “Jake made a really good play holding onto the puck, and he kind of gave us a little bit of relief seeing that puck go in.”

Before that momentum swing, defenseman Max Crozier helped shift the energy with a massive open-ice hit on Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky that quickly quieted the crowd and energized the Lightning bench.

“That’s a big-time hit getting everyone into the game,” Guentzel said. “The bench got fired up, and sometimes something like that can change a game.”

Brandon Hagel took over in the third, scoring twice to help Tampa Bay pull away. His first came early on the power play as the Lightning finished 1-for-7 with the man advantage, while Montreal went 1-for-6.

Hagel scored again at 15:07 of the third, giving Tampa Bay its first lead of the night. Just after Montreal killed off a 5-on-3 power play, Hagel found the front of the net and redirected Nikita Kucherov’s shot from the right circle off his chest and in.

“He’s the best player in the world,” Hagel said of Kucherov. “He’s been doing it continuously every single year. Yeah, I got the opportunity to play with him for many years, so maybe you can say I gained a little bit of chemistry with him. But at the same time, you put that guy out with any five guys, he’s going to make five guys around him better.”

The win ties the best-of-seven series at 2-2 and sends it back to Tampa for Game 5 at Benchmark International Arena on Wednesday.

“This is the best time of year. It doesn't matter where you're playing, you’ve got to embrace these types of atmospheres,” said Hagel. “You live to play in moments like this. This is why you want to get into the playoffs. In the regular season, you get to go into buildings, and you're happy when you're in a building that's loud and fun to play in. When you get to the playoffs, it's always like that. These are the moments you have to embrace.”