The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens head into Friday’s Game 3 of their first-round playoff series tied 1–1 after trading overtime wins in the opening two games, setting up a pivotal swing matchup in Montreal.
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Montreal struck first in the series with a dramatic 4–3 overtime win in Game 1, powered by a hat trick from Juraj Slafkovský, before Tampa Bay answered with a 3–2 OT victory in Game 2 behind J.J. Moser’s game-winner and a strong showing from Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The early pattern has been razor-thin margins, both games decided in overtime, and special teams playing a major role, especially with Montreal capitalizing heavily on the power play in the opener.
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From a matchup standpoint, this series is about contrast: Tampa Bay brings playoff experience, elite goaltending, and slightly better defensive numbers (2.79 goals-against average vs. Montreal’s 3.06), while the Canadiens counter with a fast, young core and one of the more efficient power plays in the postseason (23.1%).
The regular-season series was tight as well, with Montreal going 2-1-1 and getting strong production from Slafkovský and its top line. With the series shifting to Montreal for Friday, Game 3 becomes a tone-setter; whichever team controls discipline and special teams will likely take the upper hand in what’s already shaping up as one of the most competitive first-round matchups.
This is a great NHL matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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