MONTREAL — Lane Hutson scored the winner 2:09 into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in an exhilarating Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Friday night.

Hutson took a pass from Alexandre Texier before blasting a slap shot from the point past Andrei Vasilevskiy to give Montreal a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

Kirby Dach and Texier added a goal and an assist each for Montreal, which overcame missed breakaway chances from Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson.

Zachary Bolduc had two assists and Jakub Dobes made 15 saves.

Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point replied for Tampa Bay, while Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.

It marked the third consecutive overtime game to open the series after the teams split two in Florida. Montreal took Game 1 with a 4-3 victory before falling 3-2 in a heated Game 2. Game 4 takes place Sunday at the Bell Centre.

Dach tied the game 2-2 at 12:43 in the second period with his first of the playoffs, redeeming himself after his icing and missed coverage led to J.J. Moser’s winner in Game 2.

His shot beat a screened Vasilevskiy as the crowd erupted into “Kir-by! Kir-by!” chants in support for the injury-plagued forward, who has struggled to stay healthy the past three seasons.

The momentum swung in Montreal’s favour with the Lightning committing three consecutive penalties in the second half of the period — but the Canadiens failed to capitalize, going 0-for-4 on the night.

Four minutes into the third, Canadiens sharpshooter Caufield broke in alone on a clear breakaway only to fan on his shot as he closed in on goal.

Anderson, after putting the Lightning on the power play with 11 minutes left in the period, then received a breakaway pass when he exited the penalty box, but Vasilevskiy held the fort again as the game ultimately needed overtime.

The crowd was amped up before puck drop as Canadiens great Ivan Cournoyer carried a torch into the stands and flames shot up near the rafters.

The 21,000 fans inside the building — with a flurry of white towels rippling through the seats — then belted chants of “Go Habs Go!” and “Olé, Olé!” to drown out public address announcer Michel Lacroix and delay the national anthems.

Thousands more packed the streets outside for a massive party, filling the area between the Bonaventure and Lucien L’Allier metro stations, where voice-overs from four Canadiens players announce the next stops in French.

“I walk in this morning, get a coffee, and there’s, I don’t know, 20-30 porta-potties outside,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said following the team’s morning skate. “I mean, this place is ready to erupt.”

The fervour stretched 40 kilometres south to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., where fans have cheered on the Habs from church pews at Cathédrale Saint-Jean-l’Évangéliste, and across a province that treats the Canadiens as a cultural institution.

And it was a perfect start Friday until the Lightning pushed back.

Texier raised the roof with the opening goal 4:53 into the first period, firing a wrist shot past Vasilevskiy’s blocker to finish a beautiful passing play from Dach and Bolduc.

Tampa Bay evened the score on the power play at 7:42 when Point took a pass from Jake Guentzel in the slot and beat Dobes, who put the Canadiens down a skater with a tripping penalty.

Hagel then put the Lightning ahead 2-1 at 4:47 of the second period, trickling a weak wrist shot through Dobes after picking off Jake Evans’ breakout pass for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

The Canadiens returned to the playoffs this spring after last year’s unexpected berth signalled a new chapter in the team’s full-scale rebuild.

This time, they’re not just happy to be here. The Canadiens posted 106 points — their highest total in more than a decade — in a regular season filled with milestones not seen in a generation, from Caufield’s 50 goals and Nick Suzuki’s 100 points to Hutson’s record-tying numbers from the blue line.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press