Nikita Kucherov Watch Ends as Lightning Lose Game 7 to Montreal

nikita kucherov watched the Tampa Bay Lightning lose Game 7 to the Montreal Canadiens after a night built around missed chances. Tampa controlled possession and generated chance after chance, but rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes kept the door shut long enough for Montreal to escape with the win.

Dobes Stands Up in Tampa Bay

Dobes stopped 9 Tampa shots in the first period and set the tone early. Montreal then scored first on a Nick Suzuki deflection that went off J.J. Moser’s back, a bounce that left the Lightning chasing the game before the first intermission.

Tampa Bay had not led after one period in 22 straight games, and this one fit that pattern even with the Lightning carrying the puck and volume of attempts. The opening period pressure never turned into a lead, and that left the home side needing a response just to get back to even.

James Levels, Newhook Answers

Dominic James delivered that response in the second period with a tip-in goal, and Tampa Bay also scored on the power play to make it a 1-1 tie. The Canadiens, meanwhile, did not record a shot on goal in the second period, the first time that had happened to them in a playoff period in franchise history.

That quiet stretch did not carry over into the third. Alex Newhook put Montreal back in front with 8:53 left when his shot went off the back of Andrei Vasilevskiy and crossed the line, turning a tied game into the goal that decided the series.

Tampa Bay’s Late Push

The Lightning still had one last chance. Brandon Hagel made an empty-net save late, then Tampa Bay earned a power play with 6.4 seconds remaining and could not find the equalizer.

The loss sent Tampa Bay out in the first round for the fourth straight season. For a team that controlled much of Game 7, the numbers were blunt: more pressure, more attempts, and no result when the season hung on the final shift.