TAMPA, Fla. — Game 4 was as nail-biting as they come.
The Tampa Bay Lightning came from behind to tie it twice, but the Montreal Canadiens ultimately emerged victorious, notching their first win of the series with a 3-2 OT thriller.
Pat Maroon, who already has won back-to-back championships with the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning, put his team in position to win another Cup with a late third-period goal to tie Game 4 at 2-2.
The goal would ultimately force overtime.
But, before any of that happened, the Bolts were playing catch up all night.
Josh Anderson of the Canadiens opened the scoring in the first period, giving Montreal their first lead of the series. It would be his first of two goals, the latter being a game-winner.
Barclay Goodrow put the Lightning right back into the game with a goal in the second period to tie things up.
And, there could have been more offense for Tampa Bay, too, if it weren't for those pesky goal posts. On numerous occasions, the raucous crowd at Amalie Arena's watch party were let down by the sound of the puck hitting iron.
This brings us back to Maroon's goal.
It appeared all the cards were falling into place for Tampa Bay. Maroon scored, the game was tied, then, a gift from the hockey Gods: A 4-minute power play to end regulation.
Shea Weber of the Habs was called for a high-sticking double minor.
Then came OT.
The Lightning opened the OT frame with a man advantage and all the momentum. But, it was the Canadiens with a home-ice advantage who would put the game away with an OT goal from Anderson.
Tampa Bay went 0/5 on the power play.
The series now stands at 3-1 in favor of Tampa Bay.
Game 5 is set for Wednesday at Amalie Arena.
Here's how Game 4 played out:
11:07 p.m.
The Lightning made it interesting but fall to Montreal in OT 3-2.
The Bolts will return home with a chance to win it all in front of their fans on Wednesday.
10:45 p.m.
OT is underway. The next goal wins it.
10:45 p.m.
Game 4 will be decided in OT.
10:44 p.m.
The Lightning will end regulation play on a 4-minute power play.
10:35 p.m.
The Lightning tie it up with a goal from Pat Maroon!
It's 2-2.
10:28 p.m.
The Canadiens retake the lead on a goal from Alexander Romanov. It's 2-1 Montreal.
10:11 p.m.
The puck has dropped and the third period is underway.
9:52 p.m.
The Lightning storm from behind to tie it up. We head into the 3rd with a dramatic finish likely.
9:48 p.m.
The Lightning tie the game with a little over two minutes to go in the second period. Barclay Goodrow gets the Lightning on the board.
We're tied 1-1.
9:46 p.m.
The Bolts get robbed by the post on that power play and fail to score. They're 0/3 on the night and still trail by a goal late in the second period.
9:43 p.m.
Is the third time the charm?
The Lightning go back on the power play in the second.
Joel Armia gets two minutes for tripping.
9:34 p.m.
Montreal's penalty expires. Tampa Bay is 0/2 on the power play tonight. It remains 1-0 Canadiens.
9:32 p.m.
The Lightning are back on the power play. Corey Perry gets two for hooking.
9:27 p.m.
The Lightning kill the Habs' power play as we approach the halfway point in the period.
9:25 p.m.
Montreal gets a man advantage after Point gets called for high-sticking. It's still 1-0 Canadiens.
9:19 p.m.
Edmundson and Maroon's penalties expire and both teams are at even strength.
9:17 p.m.
The second period is underway. Joel Edmundson and Pat Maroon open the period in the penalty box for some extracurriculars that followed the first period. Unsportsmanlike conduct for the former Blues teammates.
The Canadiens still lead 1-0.
8:55 p.m.
The first period comes to an end, and with it the Lightning's power play.
The Canadiens will take a 1-0 lead into the second period.
The Lightning lead the Canadiens in shots 12-5.
8:53 p.m.
The Lightning get their first powerplay opportunity of the game. It's 4-3 hockey late in the first period. Joel Edmundson gets two for slashing.
8:52 p.m.
Jake Evans for the Habs and Brayden Point for the Bolts are in the box for two minutes each. Point for roughing, Evans for interference.
8:46 p.m.
Despite being outshot 11-2, the Canadiens jump out to a first-period lead, which happens to be their first lead of the entire Stanley Cup Final.
It's 1-0 Montreal. Josh Anderson gets the goal.
8:44 p.m.
With time ticking away in the 1st period, the Lightning still are getting the better scoring opportunities. Carey Price has made some terrific saves to keep the Lightning off the scoreboard.
8:33 p.m.
No score yet in Montreal as we approach the halfway point in the first period.
But, the Bolts have come out strong. Shots so far are 11-1.
8:21 p.m.
The puck has dropped and Game 4 is underway!
8:15 p.m.
It's been announced that Alex Killorn is out for Game 4.
Pregame coverage:
It’s a shot at history tonight for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ll try to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup when they take on the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Lightning have outscored the Canadiens 14-5 in the first three games of the series. The big difference has been the men in the net. Tampa Bay’s star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has put up an impeccable .948 save percentage, including 42 of 43 shots stopped in Game 2. Former Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price has not been nearly as sharp, saving just 83.5% of shots on goal.
Another factor in the Bolts’ favor: puck distribution. The Lightning have their stars, but everyone has been chipping in. Ten players have scored goals so far in the Final. Only Nikita Kucherov (Game 1) and Tyler Johnson (Game 3) have put up two-goal games.
Montreal will have the home-ice advantage in Game 4, with fewer than 4,000 fans allowed into the Bell Centre due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Canadiens won their semifinal series on their home ice but didn’t fare well Friday night against Tampa Bay in a 6-3 loss.
The Lightning will have plenty of fans on their side, cheering from a distance. About 16,000 attended the watch party for Game 3 at Amalie Arena, with more in Thunder Alley. The watch parties for Game 4 are still on, despite the approaching Tropical Storm Elsa, so we can expect more large crowds hoping for a series sweep. If they pull it off, they’ll be the first team since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final starts at 8 p.m.
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