If adversity builds character, then the 2025 version of the Tampa Bay Lightning should be nominated for sainthood sometime around 4:00 PM on Friday. Despite controlling play for a vast majority of Tuesday night, a late goal by Jake Evans proved to be the difference as the Lightning fell 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens. It was their seventh loss in their last eight games on the road.
“You can pull some positives out of this game, but you can’t accept the results,” Coach Jon Cooper stated after the game. The positives started in the first period where the Lightning held the Canadiens to just seven scoring chances and five shots on net. Knowing they needed a strong start after playing another in a long line of “two-period” games, Tampa Bay not only pushed the play, but also scored first.
Nikita Kucherov (Anthony Cirelli, Emil Lilleberg)
He saw Kaidan Guhle had his back to the play so Nikita Kucherov chipped the puck to an empty space in the slot. Anthony Cirelli was there to get the initial shot on Samuel Montembeault, who made the initial stop, but Kucherov was there for the rebound.
In a free-skating, fast-moving game, both teams generated chances, but the goaltenders were up to the task. Montembeault was sharp, especially on the power play. Not only did he make the saves, but had some help from the post on a shot from Cirelli. After the revamped power play had found some success in their previous two games, they went 0-for-4 on the night with the extra skater.
With the team in a funk, Coach Cooper continued to switch things up on the ice. Mikey Eyssimont, a constantly skating ball of golden retriever energy, was added to the top line of Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point. The trio generated six high-danger chances and 10 shots on goal. One of those shots found the back of the net when Eyssimont attempted a wraparound, and his unsuccessful shot went right to Jake Guentzel, who potted his 24th goal of the season.
Jake Guentzel (Mikey Eyssimont)
“It’s not in our DNA to lose hockey games like this,” Coach Cooper told the assembled press corps after the game. Up by two goals is usually a good sign for the Lightning, but not on this night. Missed opportunities, be it Brayden Point finding the iron for the second night in a row after beating the goaltender, Jake Guentzel missing an empty net chance, or Conor Geekie not connecting on a net-front redirect, would come back to haunt the Bolts, as the never-say-die Canadiens began their comeback on the power play.
Juraj Slafkovsky (Patrik Laine, Lane Huston) Power Play
Andrei Vasilevskiy is hugging the near post, but it’s impossible for any goaltender to truly seal off every gap and Slafkovsky slid the puck off the top Vasy’s pad and just under his arm, a gap barely wider than the puck.
Montreal maintained that momentum and, for one of the few times all night, sustained a long shift in the Lightning zone. After they were unable to win a couple of puck battles and clear the puck, Alex Newhook fired a puck from the top of the slot that beat Vasilevskiy. It looked like Vasy lost sight of where Newhook was on the pass and was slightly off his marks when the shot came in and beat him on the glove side.
Alex Newhook (Patrik Laine)
Despite the two goals allowed over a span of time shorter than a power play, the Lightning rebuilt momentum. Both teams seemed to sense the urgency of the two points needed and amped up their offensive game and carried it through the third period.
The Lightning had the better run of play, but like every team mired in a slump that has come before them, the breaks didn’t go their way as Montembeault was at the top of his game. He finished with 33 saves and a 2.62 GSAx. Also, as slumping teams are wont to do, a moment of potential glory for the Lightning ended up bringing heartbreak. Guentzel and Eyssimont almost gave the Lightning the lead, but Montembeault denied them.
After the play, the Lightning lost the ensuing face-off in the Montreal zone. Them Emil Lilleberg wasn’t able to stop the play in the neutral zone despite having the inside line on the puck. He also wasn’t able to stay with Joel Armia, which forced Nick Perbix to step up and challenge Armia, which left Jake Evans wide open to beat Vasilevskiy.
Jake Evans (Joel Armia, Alex Carrier)
With Vasilevskiy’s night done after he made 19 saves on 22 shots against, the Lightning pushed for the tying goal, but Montreal did a great job of literally sitting on the lead as David Savard killed off a large portion of the remaining time by smothering the puck.
Despite the loss, the Lightning maintain their spot in third place for one more night with 53 points. Unfortunately Boston, Montreal, and Ottawa are right behind them with 52 points. Tampa Bay will have two days off to figure out how to end their current losing streak. Following the break they take on Chicago and Detoit on their second back-to-back of the road trip. Picking up two wins would go a long way to washing out the bad taste left by tonight’s loss.
