Canadiens Highlights: Lightning Force Game Seven
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Tampa Bay Lighting on Friday night, looking to win their fourth game of the playoffs, securing a series win in the process. It was a hard-fought game, par for the course, but in the end, the Lightning emerged with a 1-0 overtime victory. Let’s dive into the highlights!
Wild Start The game opened with a heavy dose of excitement, though you’d be hard-pressed to argue it was beautiful hockey. More than anything, the teams exchanged fairly sloppy shifts, leading to several scoring chances in the process. The Lightning earned the majority of the quality shots, establishing an early 5-0 advantage at 5v5 in that very important statistical category, though Yanni Gourde was unable to find the back of the net when Jakub Dobes almost gifted him a goal.
Gourde misses a wide open net after Dobes bobbles the puck. #GoHabsGo pic. twitter.
com/vzuDMNUTz6 — Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 1, 2026 It wasn’t a particularly physical period, at least compared to previous games, as the break-neck speed ensured there were very few whistles, and consequently, not many opportunities for post-whistle scrums. That being said, Juraj Slafkovsky did seize an opportunity to drop Brandon Hagel when it came around. For the record, the hit was not penalized.
Juraj Slafkovsky levels Brandon Hagel. #GoHabsGo pic. twitter.