The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens have yet to settle a game in this series within regulation, and Friday night proved to be more of the same. At a rocking Bell Centre, Lane Hutson‘s winner in the extra session gave the Canadiens a 3-2 Game 3 win and a 2-1 series lead.
Alexandre Texier would strike first for the Canadiens less than five minutes into the frame, but the early lead would be short-lived as Brayden Point would offer a response for Tampa Bay to send things into the intermission all tied at one. Brandon Hagel would stay hot for the Lightning with his fourth goal of the series to make it a 2-1 Tampa Bay game in the second, but Kirby Dach would strike to once again get things level.
While these two would head to an extra session again after a scoreless third, overtime would be short as just 2:09 into the period, Lane Hutson would beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to give Montreal the series lead.
Lane Hutson Continues To Impress
After a Calder Trophy-winning season in 2024-25, Lane Hutson’s game in Montreal continues to get better with each game. In 2025-26, the young blueliner was third on the Canadiens in scoring with 78 points and on Friday became only the third defenceman in the last 25 years to score in consecutive playoff games, the last being Shea Weber in 2020 and P.K. Subban in 2013.
Friday night, he won the game in a way that surprised even himself. “That honestly might’ve been my first slapshot all year.” That wasn’t actually accurate, but it was his second hardest shot of the season.
Montreal’s young core is once again showing they can hang with the best in the Atlantic, and going into Game 4 on Sunday, have a chance to put Jon Cooper and company on the ropes.
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