It isn’t how most teams would like to go about their winning ways, but the Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up 2025 with a shoot-out victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Nikita Kucherov scored twice as the Lightning won their fourth game in a row and moved into a tie with Detroit atop of the Atlantic Division.
The Lightning did have a few reinforcements in the line-up. Brandon Hagel returned to action while the newly recalled Max Groshev made his NHL debut. In net was Jonas Johansson, and he was the biggest difference in the first period as the Canadiens peppered the Lightning net with shots. There was no doubt which team was tested over the first 20 minutes as Montreal dominated play.
Tampa Bay did themselves no favors by taking three penalties, a trend that carried over from their win against Florida Saturday night. The penalty killers, back-end by Johansson held the fort and kept the visitors off of the scoreboard.
With the exception of a shift by the Yanni Gourde line that produced a couple of shots, there was almost no pressure from the Lightning offense as they were outskated for the first 20 minutes. If it wasn’t for a kick saves here, and glove save there, Montreal would have built an early lead that might have sucked the life out of the Bolts before things even got started.
In the second period, the Lightning got their feet under them, and managed to keep pace with Montreal. Then the puck gods gave them a little blessing. First, a Montreal stick exploded on a shot attempt. That gave Nikita Kucherov a chance to get behind the defense and he beat Jacob Fowler cleanly on a breakaway. Ten minutes later, the linesman’s skate turned a Montreal odd-skater rush into a Lightning three-on-one and after Fowler made a diving save on Gage Goncalves one-timer, the puck came back to the Bolts and Kucherov banged home his second of the night.
Nick Paul put home a rebound off of an Oliver Bjorkstrand shot to make it 3-0, and it looked like the Bolts were going to drag their way to a victory. However, nothing is easy this season, and the Canadiens were on the board early in the third period as Ivan Demidov picked up his 10th goal of the season.
Pontus Holmberg responded with his sixth goal of the year as he tipped home a shot from Bjorkstrand and with 18 minutes to go, the Lightning had their three-goal lead back. The problem was that there were 18 minutes to go. Much like the first period, Montreal hemmed the Lightning in their zone and piled away the chances. Perhaps it was the fatigue, both physical and mental, but the Bolts seemed to be unable to stop the tide.
Juraj Slafkovsky made it 4-2 with just over nine minutes to go. Then it was 4-3 after Noah Dobson blasted home a shot from the point. Still, it looked like the Lightning might hold on for a regulation win. With Fowler on the bench, Tampa Bay missed a couple of chances at the empty net. With less than ten seconds to go, a face-off in the Lightning zone was won by Montreal and Slafkovsky beat Johansson to tie the game with just four seconds to go.
Brutal ending.
The overtime period was all Montreal with the exception of a breakaway chance for Kucherov that Fowler, who finished with 18 saves, got the paddle down to deny him the glory of a hat trick. Montreal generated four shot attempts with two getting on net in the overtime period, but Johansson, who had 32 saves on the night, turned both of them aside. The bonus hockey solved nothing so it was on to the skills competition.
The Lightning wasted no time in picking up the extra point as Gage Goncalves and Brayden Point beat Fowler while Johansson stopped Ivan Demidov and Cole Caufield.
Was it the prettiest Lightning win of the season? No, but it might have been one of their guttiest. They had some odds stacked against them, they played themselves into a deeper hole with some ill-timed penalties, but solid goaltending and timely scoring allowed them to pick up two points.
After their slow start to the month of December, they’ve found ways to pick up points over the last two weeks and have moved to the second spot in the Eastern Conference, trailing Carolina by two points. Their +25 goal differential is tops in the conference while their 18 regulation wins is tied with Washington for the most in the East. It hasn’t always been textbook hockey, but they’ve found ways to win.
The Details
[Box Score] [Natural Stat Trick] [Lightning Ice Time]
The Goals
Nikita Kucherov [16] (Gage Goncalves) 1-0 Lightning
"Kucherov's in alone… SCORE!!! KUCHEROVVVV!!!!!" Kuch makes no mistake on the breakaway! 😎 #MTLvsTBL 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
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Nikita Kucherov [17] (Brayden Point, Gage Goncalves) 2-0 Lightning
"Rebound Kucherov, SCORREE!!!!!" It's another goal for Kucherov! #MTLvsTBL 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 6:37 PM
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Nick Paul [4] (Oliver Bjorkstrand, Max Groshev) 3-0 Lightning
"Rebound, SCORE!!! NICK PAUL!!!!!" Paul puts home the rebound for the Bolts! #MTLvsTBL 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 6:48 PM
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Ivan Demidov [10] (Juraj Slafkovsky, Noah Dobson) 3-1 Lightning
Montreal goal! Scored by Ivan Demidov with 18:54 remaining in the 3rd period. Assisted by Juraj Slafkovský and Noah Dobson. Tampa Bay: 3 Montreal: 1 #MTLvsTBL #GoBolts #GoHabsGo
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 7:11 PM
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Pontus Holmberg [6] (Oliver Bjorkstrand, Charle-Edouard D’Astous) 4-1 Lightning
"That might have been tipped by Holmberg!!!" A deflection goal and a new career high for Holmy! #MTLvsTBL 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 7:21 PM
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Juraj Slafkovsky [12] (Oliver Kapanen) 4-2 Lightning
Montreal goal! Scored by Juraj Slafkovský with 10:44 remaining in the 3rd period. Assisted by Oliver Kapanen. Tampa Bay: 4 Montreal: 2 #MTLvsTBL #GoBolts #GoHabsGo
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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Noah Dobson [7] (Cole Caufield, Mike Matherson) 4-3 Lightning
Montreal goal! Scored by Noah Dobson with 07:43 remaining in the 3rd period. Assisted by Cole Caufield and Mike Matheson. Tampa Bay: 4 Montreal: 3 #MTLvsTBL #GoBolts #GoHabsGo
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
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Juraj Slafkovsky [13] (Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson) 4-4
Montreal goal! Scored by Juraj Slafkovský with 00:04 remaining in the 3rd period. Assisted by Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson. Tampa Bay: 4 Montreal: 4 #MTLvsTBL #GoBolts #GoHabsGo
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) December 28, 2025 at 7:53 PM
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Pretty Colors
