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)
By The Canadian Press
Apr 19, 2026 | 7:21 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 playoff series on Sunday night.
Slafkovsky fired a slap shot from the left circle that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to the far side for the hat trick.
Game 2 is Tuesday night at Benchmark International Arena, where Tampa Bay has lost eight of its last nine home games in the post-season.
Josh Anderson also had a goal for Montreal and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes made 20 saves. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield each chipped in with two assists.