Hutson scores in OT, Canadiens beat Lightning 3-2 to take 2-1 series lead

Hutson took a pass from Alexandre Texier and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy through traffic to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup as a rip-roaring Bell Centre erupted.

“Didn’t think he could shoot it that hard,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said. “Huge play for us.”

“I don’t even know where it went. I just saw everyone jumped, I jumped, blacked out for a good two minutes,” added goalie Jakub Dobes. “I’m really proud of Lane. I know what he can do. I don’t have any doubt that he can do it again.”

Kirby Dach — in a redemption game to remember — and Texier added a goal and an assist each for Montreal, which overcame missed breakaway chances from Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson. Zachary Bolduc had two assists and Dobes made 15 saves.

Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point replied for Tampa Bay, while Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.

It marked the third consecutive overtime game to open this tight series after the teams split two in Florida. Game 4 takes place Sunday back at the Bell Centre.

If there’s one perceived weakness in the five-foot-nine, 162-pound Hutson’s offensive game, it’s his shot. Obsessed with refining his craft, the 22-year-old rink rat has taken “probably 100,000 one-timers” in practice, Suzuki said.

“He’s a guy that just continues to just work and work,” he continued. “To see him use that slap shot tonight and (have it) pay off, it’s pretty cool.”

Teammate Jayden Struble also revealed that Hutson, last year’s Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year, predicted he would end the game.

“Everyone in that locker room thinks that they could score the goal … I just said jokingly, ‘Oh I think I got it,’” Hutson said. “Luckily it went in.”

But Hutson’s heroics wouldn’t have been possible without the work of Montreal’s fourth line — particularly Dach.

The Canadiens forward entered the night with questions surrounding his place in the lineup after his icing and missed coverage led to J.J. Moser’s winner in Game 2.

Fans showered him with support from warm-ups, chanting “Kir-by! Kir-by!” when he appeared on the big screen. He responded with arguably his best game in a Canadiens sweater.

“Didn’t really expect it, so it was nice,” said Dach, a former third overall pick undone by injuries the past three seasons. “The fans have been unbelievable for us all year. And for me, they’ve stuck by my side through a lot, so it definitely meant a lot.”

Playing on a newly formed line with Texier and Bolduc, Dach started the zone entry that led to Texier’s opening goal 4:53 into the first period.

Tampa Bay then jumped ahead 2-1 until Dach tied the game at 12:43 in the second with his first of the playoffs when his shot beat a screened Vasilevskiy.

“I thought it was his best game of the whole season,” Suzuki said. “Just unfortunate what happened in the previous game. It was great to see the fans really supported him tonight.”

The goal swung the momentum in the Canadiens favour — even though they failed to capitalize on three consecutive power plays — to give Montreal a clear upper hand into the third and overtime.

“We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be,” Lightning defenceman Ryan McDonagh said. “I think the right team won tonight.”

The crowd was amped up before puck drop as Canadiens great Ivan Cournoyer carried a torch into the stands and flames shot up near the rafters.

The 21,000 fans inside the building — with a flurry of white towels rippling through the seats — then belted chants of “Go Habs Go!” and “Olé, Olé!” to drown out public address announcer Michel Lacroix and delay the national anthems.

Thousands more packed the streets outside for a massive party, filling the area between the Bonaventure and Lucien L’Allier metro stations, where voice-overs from four Canadiens players announce the next stops in French.

“I walk in this morning, get a coffee, and there’s, I don’t know, 20-30 porta-potties outside,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said Friday morning. “I mean, this place is ready to erupt.”

The fervour stretched 40 kilometres south to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., where fans have cheered on the Habs from church pews at Cathédrale Saint-Jean-l’Évangéliste, and across a province that treats the Canadiens as a cultural institution.

But the place to be above all was inside the Bell Centre.

“You cannot prepare for what they do here. It’s unbelievable, but this is what we work for,” Dobes said. “Even though I played in this atmosphere last year, it’s hard to stay on top of your game. It’s really takes a lot of energy, but it also gives you a lot of energy at the same time.

“I feel like Sunday is going to be smoother for everyone, especially for me. And just getting used to how amazing the fans we have are.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press