The Montreal Canadiens stunned the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 win in Game 7 on Sunday, May 3, closing a fierce NHL first-round series.
Every game in the matchup ended by one goal, with four going to overtime. Montreal sealed the series 4-3 and now moves on to face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper pointed to luck after the loss. Speaking to the media, he said the ‘hockey gods’ had favored his team many times before but switched sides in Game 7.
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“That’s when you – at the end of the game, and you’re just sitting there saying, ‘The, the hockey gods have been in my corner many, many times, and tonight they’re in the other corner.’ And that’s what happens,” Cooper said.
“And as I said, it’s not the movies. It’s not something where you can retake it and get the scene right. It’s live theater right there in front of you, and you never know what’s gonna happen. That’s why it’s unbelievable to be a part of, to be a part of something like this. But it damn well stings when you’re on the wrong side of it.”
Tampa Bay controlled much of the game but failed to finish. They outshot Montreal 29-9, yet rookie goalie Jakub Dobes stood firm with 28 saves. His calm presence kept the Canadiens alive under heavy pressure. The result marked Tampa’s fourth straight first-round exit, adding to growing frustration.
Lightning coach said there’s ‘no moral victory’ after Game 7 loss
Montreal struck first late in the opening period. Captain Nick Suzuki scored at 18:39 after a deflection bounced past Andrei Vasilevskiy. The goal gave the Canadiens early control despite limited attacking play. Tampa kept pushing but could not break through until the mid-second period.
The equalizer came from Dominic James at 13:27 on a power play. He redirected a shot set up by Charle-Edouard D’Astous. The home crowd sensed a shift, but Montreal responded quickly.
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Alex Newhook delivered the decisive blow with 8:53 left in the third. He knocked a loose puck out of the air and beat Vasilevskiy. That moment later ended Tampa’s season and sent Montreal through.
“All you can ask of your team [in best-of-7 playoff] … is to get better as you go,” Cooper said. “And I thought we got better as we went, and I thought tonight we played our best game of the series. Sometimes you win the game and not the score, and it’s Game 7. There’s no moral victory in that.”
The Lightning finished the regular season with 106 points, led by Nikita Kucherov and his 130-point campaign. Still, strong numbers could not hide playoff struggles. In a series defined by fine margins, Montreal took its chance when it mattered most.
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