Juraj Slafkovsky’s hat trick lifts Canadiens to 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning in Game 1 | NanaimoNewsNOW
Montréal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovský (20) celebrates his goal with right wing Cole Caufield against the Tampa Bay Lightning during overtime in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
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Apr 19, 2026 | 6:21 PM
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Juraj Slafkovsky scored his third power-play goal 1:22 into overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday night.
Slafkovsky fired a snap shot from the left circle that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to the far side for his first career postseason hat trick.
“It’s pretty nice. I like that feeling,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t want to go to overtime. Hopefully we close out games before that. But now we have to focus on the next game.”
Game 2 is Tuesday night at Benchmark International Arena, where Tampa Bay has lost nine of its last 10 home games in the postseason. The Lightning are 1-11 in their last 12 overtime games in the playoffs.
