Slafkovsky scores hat trick to give Canadiens overtime win over Lightning

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/slafkovsky-juraj/ATgrbSxq/"]Slafkovsky[/a] scored three of the Habs' four goals en route to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/tampa-bay-lightning-YVE3zk1c/?mid=AgXr4Tml"]4-3[/a] win in the first overtime game of this year's playoffs. Five of the games' seven goals came during a power play, with four of those being in a row to end the game. [/p][p]He led all skaters with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/tampa-bay-lightning-YVE3zk1c/?mid=AgXr4Tml"]an 8.8 player rating[/a] for the game after becoming the first player in playoff history to score three power-play goals and the overtime game winner.[/p][p]It was the first game in the modern era where the NHL saw a Stanley Cup Finals rematch in the first round of the playoffs. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/montreal-canadiens/nu2G7VWc/"]Montreal[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tampa-bay-lightning/YVE3zk1c/"]Tampa[/a] had previously met in the 2021 finals. [/p][embed guid="a41c9ca2-8d6c-40ff-95fd-5fddf5c803fd" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssNgK0O5wPs" social-type="youtube" /][p]After the Lightning came out firing right after puck-drop, it was still the Habs who got on the board first. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anderson-josh/UHtqXNeh/"]Josh Anderson[/a] got the puck wide open in front of the net and wristed it past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vasilevski-andrei/pSoZfKJQ/"]Andrei Vasilevskiy[/a] to make it 1-0. [/b][/p][p]He is one of six Canadiens players who played against Tampa when the two teams faced off in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. [/p][embed guid="74e442f5-9a52-4261-bb29-b488c1293b3e" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2045991288705572892?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Tampa Bay would fail to convert on both of their power plays in the first period, despite outshooting the Habs 9-4. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hagel-brandon/r3gaDEq6/"]Brandon Hagel[/a] would receive a two-minute minor for interference on Montreal's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guhle-kaiden/G8oMBvZd/"]Kaiden Guhle[/a].[/p][p]But Tampa would enter the second period on their third man-advantage of the game after Guhle was whistled for a double-minor for hooking [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/point-brayden/MJyzRByp/"]Brayden[/a] Point in the same incident.[/p][p]Both teams would have two players each in the penalty box within the first minute of the second period after Tampa's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kucherov-nikita/CCOwSw87/"]Nikita Kucherov[/a] was given a two-minute minor for high-sticking, forcing a 4-on-4 for a minute before the Canadiens had a brief 5-on-4 power play. [/p][p]Neither team would capitalize on any of their opportunities to start the period, but that would quickly change halfway through. [/p][p]After an overturned goal call that kept the Habs at one on the scoreboard, Anderson would commit back-to-back minor penalties, leaving the Lightning with perfect opportunities to tie it. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raddysh-darren/dd2BLyG3/"]Darren Raddysh[/a] would slap one home on the power play to tie it up before teammate Brandon Hagel gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead just 29 seconds later.[/b][/p][p]Both goals were assisted by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guentzel-jake/Mq78JKxK/"]Jake Guenztel[/a], who recorded the fastest two points in franchise playoff history.[/p][embed guid="6f12ec1f-8b01-4a0e-9ee6-73de917a9451" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUQYublKFFo" social-type="youtube" /][p]But the Candiens wouldn't let up.[/p][p][b]Juraj Slafkovsky[/b] [b]scored on the power play himself with 24 seconds left to go in the second as the Habs headed into the third period with two goals on just nine shots.[/b]  [/p][embed guid="e3c7089c-95ba-49c9-8f27-45248e79cc3b" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nvbwJ0EgjM" social-type="youtube" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cirelli-anthony/nsPYJ1v5/"]Anthony Cirelli[/a] would commit his first penalty of the game for an interference on Slafkovsky, who would get his revenge shortly after. [/p][p][b]Slafkovsky would score his second power play goal of the game to give the Habs a 3-2 lead just six minutes into the third period. [/b][/p][p]He became the first Habs player since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vanek-thomas/SML16MyD/"]Thomas Vanek[/a] in 2014 to score two power-play goals in a playoff game.[/p][embed guid="8083b472-3a04-421a-b480-2bcfc94e701f" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2046020658098823511?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]But another power play just meant another Lightning goal to tie it all back up. [/p][p][b]Hagel would score his second of the game to make it 3-3 with 11:02 left to go in the third. [/b]It would mark the third assist of the game for Guenztel and the second for Nikita Kucherov. [/p][p]Guenztel became just the second player in Lightning history with three assists in a playoff-opening game, the first being [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hedman-victor/dIir0Gdo/"]Victor Hedman[/a] in 2021. [/p][embed guid="1c4fc5fd-7ae2-44f8-93b7-5a94aaf8c18b" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2046022411775000593?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]With 20.5 seconds left to go in the third, Guentzel would get the whistle for a minor for the game's fourth high-sticking penalty. [/p][p]After not scoring in the remaining regulation time, the Habs went into OT with 1:40 left on the PP. [/p][p][b]And, who else, but Slafkovsky to score the game-winner and complete the hat trick. [/b][/p][p]He became just the third person in Montreal Canadiens history to complete a playoff hat trick with an overtime goal, the others being [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/desjardins-eric/W6iZQVMS/"]Eric Desjardins[/a] (1993 Stanley Cup Finals) and Gerry Plamondon (1949 Stanley Cup Finals).[/p][p]Slafkovsky also became the first Canadiens player since Rene Borque (2014) to put up a playoff hat trick, while also scoring the second-fastest overtime playoff goal in franchise history since Nick Suzuki (2021). [/p][embed guid="770a5c0f-7099-45d2-9d5f-afa846948ba0" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSdKO-qVDqs" social-type="youtube" /]