LIGHTNING STRIKES IN OVERTIME
Tampa spoils strong outing by Price
The skinny: Carey Price skated out before the game to collect the Molson Cup for the zillionth time in his career on Tuesday night, but he seemed in line for even greater honours after he skated off the ice on the short end of a 1- 0 overtime decision.
Tyler Johnson scored his 25th goal of the season at 1: 03 of overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning the win over the Canadiens. The Lightning came into the Bell Centre as the highest- scoring team in the NHL and they looked dangerous throughout the night as they fired 36 shots on goal. But Price showed why he’s the best goaltender in the NHL this season as he gave the Canadiens a chance.
Ben Bishop was solid at the other end of the ice, but he didn’t have the same workload as Price. The Canadiens had only 19 shots, including only two in the third period. The win gave the Lightning a 3- 0 record against Montreal this season.
Still in first: The Canadiens came out of the game with first place in the Atlantic Division intact. They are one point ahead of Tampa Bay and still hold a game in hand.
Coming up short: Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec had three potential breakaways in the first period, but couldn’t manage a shot on net. Pacioretty also had the best chance in the second period, when he came out of the penalty box with less than two minutes remaining and had a clear shot. But Bishop made the save and also stopped Jacob De La Rose on the rebound.
Making themselves at home: Jeff Petry, Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn made their first appearances at the Bell Centre. Petry displayed his defensive skills in a flawless effort alongside Tom Gilbert. He also played a key role as a penalty- killer. Mitchell, the Greenfield Park native, was the Canadiens’ best performer in the faceoff circle and he and Flynn both played a role killing penalties as the Lightning went 0- for- 4 with the extra man.
West Island reunion: The Tampa Bay lineup included three players with local ties. Defenceman Mark Barberio and forwards Alex Killorn and Jonathan Drouin all played midget AAA hockey for the Lac St- Louis Lions.
What’s next: The Ottawa Senators, who are trying to catch Boston for the final wild- card spot in the Eastern Conference — they lost to Bruins Tuesday night to fall seven points off the pace — visit the Bell Centre Thursday night. Then it’s back on the road for the Canadiens, who will make their final regular- season visit to the Nas- sau Coliseum to play the Islanders on Saturday before heading south for a rematch against the Lightning on Monday in Tampa and a game against the hungry Panthers on Tuesday in Sunrise.