Home HOCKEY NHL Lightning vs Canadiens Game 4: Hagel Scores Twice as Tampa Bay Evens Series

Lightning vs Canadiens Game 4: Hagel Scores Twice as Tampa Bay Evens Series

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Lightning Beat Canadiens
Lightning Beat Canadiens in Game 4

Down 2-0 in the second, Tampa Bay got goals from Guentzel and two from Hagel to beat the Canadiens 3-2. First road multi-goal comeback since 2016.


After Montreal killed a 5-on-3, Brandon Hagel scored 12 seconds later to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead. Lightning survive late 6-on-4 to even series...

 
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 on Sunday to tie the series 2-2.

  
It was their first road multi-goal comeback since Game 5 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final. It also marked just the second multi-goal comeback win of these playoffs, after the Buffalo Sabres’ Game 1 win over the Bruins.

  
Brandon Hagel had two third-period goals to spark the comeback. The Lightning-Canadiens series now shifts back to Tampa Bay for Game 5 on April 29.


Recap & Highlights

Slow Start in the First

Not much happened in the opening period. Montreal put nine shots on goal to Tampa’s six, with four of the Lightning’s coming from Brayden Point (2) and Nikita Kucherov (2).



Power Plays Go Empty
  
The Lightning failed to convert on their lone power play of the period. Montreal also came up empty on both of their chances.


Bolduc Breaks the Deadlock

The game stayed scoreless until 10 minutes into the second period when the Habs struck first. 


First Playoff Goal for Bolduc 

Zachary Bolduc netted his first career playoff goal off a deflection to give Montreal a 1-0 lead.



Missed Chance for Tampa

Montreal went on the penalty kill seconds later after Alex Newhook was called for hooking, but Tampa couldn’t capitalize to tie it up.


Habs Double the Lead
 
That’s when Montreal pushed further ahead.

Caufield Converts on the Man Advantage

After a Jake Guentzel slashing penalty, Montreal’s Cole Caufield scored on the power play for his first goal of the playoffs to make it 2-0.


  

The game started to get chippy from there. About 20 seconds after Caufield’s goal, both teams had two players each sent to the box for roughing.

 
Tampa’s Darren Raddysh joined Zemgus Girgensons and Nick Paul in the box 10 seconds later after firing the puck over the glass in his end for a delay of game.

  
After the Habs failed to extend their lead, matching penalties from both teams created 4-on-4 play. That’s when Tampa cut the deficit in half.

  
Guentzel scored his first goal on his 10th shot of the series to make it 2-1 with 54 seconds left in the second.



 
Tampa entered the third outshooting Montreal 16-14. But the Habs controlled the physical game, outhitting the Lightning 35-20.


Kaiden Guhle, who picked up his first assist of the series on Bolduc’s goal for his first career playoff point, led all players with eight hits. No Lightning player had more than three entering the third.


But goals matter most, and that’s what the Lightning targeted in the first two minutes of the final period.


Hagel scored his fifth goal of the series - and the Lightning’s first power-play goal of Game 4 - to tie it 2-2.


Kucherov (4) and Guentzel (6) picked up the assists.

  
Hagel has been on the ice for nine of the 10 shifts on which the Lightning have scored this series.



 
Tampa got a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:11 after penalties to Montreal’s Mike Matheson and Jake Evans.

 
But Montreal killed off both power plays, sending Habs fans into a frenzy - and it was silenced immediately.

 
Hagel scored his second of the night and sixth of the playoffs off a slick assist from Kucherov to give Tampa a 3-2 lead in the third.




The rest of the Lightning have five goals combined this series.


The Habs pulled the goalie with 1:40 left in the third for a 6-on-4 advantage after a Kucherov slashing penalty.

 
But they couldn’t find the net as the Lightning held on for the Game 4 win to even the series.


Tampa outshot Montreal 20-18, while the Habs outhit the Lightning 51-28.



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