Slafkovsky's hat trick lifts Canadiens in OT

Juraj Slafkovsky scored a hat trick, including the overtime winner, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a thrilling 4-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game One of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, held on April 19, 2026, at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Slafkovsky's three goals all came on the power play, contributing to the Canadiens' successful conversion of three out of five power play opportunities. The Lightning managed to tie the game in the third period with their second power play goal of the game, scored by Brandon Hagel, but ultimately suffered their tenth playoff loss in their last eleven home games and their seventh consecutive overtime loss.

The scoring began with Josh Anderson putting the Canadiens up 1-0, before Darren Raddysh and Hagel turned the tide for the Lightning with goals to take a 2-1 lead. Slafkovsky equalized before the end of the second period, then scored again early in the third to put Montreal ahead.

Hagel tied it once more for Tampa before Slafkovsky sealed the game in overtime with a wrist shot from the left circle after a face-off win by Nick Suzuki. The game featured notable performances with Hagel scoring twice for the Lightning, while Jake Guentzel assisted on three goals.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 15 saves on 19 shots, while Jakob Dobes earned the win with 20 saves.