Lightning vs. Canadiens score, result: Josh Anderson's OT goal forces Stanley Cup Final Game 5

Jackie Spiegel

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Lightning vs. Canadiens score, result: Josh Anderson's OT goal forces Stanley Cup Final Game 5 image

Josh Anderson must have been listening to Jay-Z before Game 4, because he had the grand openin' and the grand closin', and now the Canadiens are giving their fans an encore.

Shifted to a new line on Monday night with the youngsters' Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, Anderson (the elder statesman at 27), bookended the scoring. His second goal of the night — off a rebound on a Caufield shot that he set up — gave Montreal a 3-2 overtime win and sent the series back to Tampa Bay for Game 5.

"We didn't want to end it tonight in front of our fans," Anderson said. "We expected to go to Tampa tomorrow. I think everybody in that locker room did. (We) packed our bags this afternoon. Just had that feeling that we were going to win tonight and give ourselves a chance. We'll go there and take care of business and come home in front of our fans. We're in a good position now."

Things were a little dicey for the Canadiens late in the game, as captain Shea Weber high-sticked Ondrej Palat off a faceoff with 61 seconds left in regulation and the score tied 2-2. Palat was cut and Weber was sent to the box for four minutes. The Canadiens killed off the man advantage; the Lightning had four shots, including Carey Price robbing Brayden Point from the slot. Less than a minute later, Anderson scored.

“Webby is our leader. You can’t ask for a better teammate, so obviously, the guys wanted to bear down, especially for him," Brendan Gallagher said. "We understand the situation that we’re in. I think we would have killed it for anyone, but he’s been a rock for us since he’s come to our team. The physicality that he brings that you speak of, that’s just what we expect from him every single night.

"He’s hard to play against. Especially as these series go along, he’s a pain, so, happy to have him on our side.”

Aside from putting his lines in a blender, Montreal bench boss Dominique Ducharme inserted Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak on defense and Jake Evans up front. Defensemen Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson and forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi all sat. Romanov scored in the third period to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.

"You have to work to win the Stanley Cup, you have to earn it. I would have been extremely disappointed in Montreal if they laid an egg," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. "They are a proud team, a proud franchise and they are trying to win a hockey game and so are we. ... It’s not like we can throw our stick in the middle of the ice ... and say we are going to win, not a chance. It’s desperation, and that’s what we have to do, and if you do that I like our chances."

Barclay Goodrow got the 1-1 equalizer for Tampa Bay before Pat Maroon tied things up on a nifty pass from the Laval, Quebec, native, Mathieu Joseph. The defending Stanley Cup champs will now head home looking to close things out at Amalie Arena in front of their hometown crowd — something their mayor had actually hoped for.

"That was a close game overall," Victor Hedman said. "They were playing for their lives and they really brought it. ... We obviously had put ourselves in a good position. They're a good team. They're here for a reason. ... Recharge our batteries and get ready for the next game."

Game 5 is Wednesday.

Sporting News had all the action as the Canadiens stay alive in the Stanley Cup Final and force a Game 5 (all times Eastern).

Lightning vs. Canadiens live score, highlights from Game 4

Overtime: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2

11:08 p.m. — GOAL. Anderson flying down the right boards feeds Cole Caufield, who is stopped, but Anderson buries the rebound. Montreal wins 3-2.

11:06 p.m. — Canadiens kill off the penalty, but Lightning are controlling play.

11:05 p.m. — Lightning call timeout with 33 seconds left.

11:05 p.m — At the other end Price stones Point from the slot.

11:04 p.m. — Canadiens shorthanded and Phillip Danault feeds a breaking in Nick Suzuki who gets absolutely robbed by Vasilevskiy.

11:01 p.m. — Overtime starts. What will happen?

Third period: Lightning 2, Canadiens 2

10:45 p.m. — Period ends. The Canadiens captain still has 2:59 remaining on his penalty when overtime begins.

10:42 p.m. — Shea Weber gets the stick up on Ondrej Palat off the faceoff and he is cut. They are confirming the call and with 61 seconds left in regulation, the Lightning will have a four-minute power play.

10:40 p.m. — Kucherov off the post.

10:33 p.m. — GOAL. Mathieu Joseph feeds Pat Maroon for the redirect. Game tied 2-2.

10:33 p.m. — Remember those six players? They're still in the box. Update: They're out now. See above.

10:32 p.m. — Nick Suzuki is flying in this one. Picks off the pass and the Canadiens get some pressure.

10:30 p.m. — Nick Suzuki spin-o-rama is stopped by Vasilevskiy.

10:27 p.m. — GOAL. Alexander Romanov with the point shot that gets past a screened Vasilevskiy. Montreal leads 2-1.

10:24 p.m — Packed house in the penalty boxes as each team has three guys hanging out. Petry, Chiarot and Anderson for the Canadiens. The line of Goodrow, Coleman and Gourde for the Lightning.

10:22 p.m. — More pushing and shoving at the whistle and more with Blake Coleman involved.

10:16 p.m. — Price stops Kucherov on the doorstep.

10:14 p.m. — Good news for the Lightning:

10:11 p.m. — Third period begins. When the period ends will the Lightning be celebrating? Or will things shift to Tampa Bay? Or will extra time be needed? Stay tuned.

Second period: Lightning 1, Canadiens 1

9:52 p.m. — Period comes to an end and there are more pleasantries, er, punches actually, exchanged.

9:47 p.m. — GOAL. Ryan McDonagh blocks the clearing attempt and steps into the zone. He gets the puck and a behind-the-back pass sets up Barclay Goodrow for the goal. Game tied 1-1.

9:46 p.m. — Montreal kills the power play.

9:45 p.m. — Hedman shot hits Point and he is in pain.

9:44 p.m. — Hedman shot goes off the blocker of Price, the post and out. Hedman and his teammates thought they scored.

9:41 p.m. — Joel Armia trips up Mathieu Joseph as he goes around the net. Lightning back to the power play. Entering the game, Tampa Bay's power play was 28.6 percent effective (5-for-14). Montreal cannot keep giving them chances to tie things up.

9:34 p.m. — Penalty ends and Tampa Bay is now 0 for 2. Weber, by the way, was a wrecking ball on that kill.

9:32 p.m. — Lightning get another power play as Corey Perry hooks Tyler Johnson. Bolts good on the first one but didn't score.

9:31 p.m. — Canadiens getting lots o' chances in this period. Playing much better.

9:28 p.m. — Point out of the box and the puck comes to him. He gets crunched by Shea Weber. Maybe a little high? But nothing called.

9:27 p.m. — Anderson getting some good looks but just missing.

9:25 p.m. — Point called for high-sticking. Canadiens power play (1 for 6 in the series).

9:22 p.m. — Isn't the saying: a period at a time, keeps Cup dreams alive?

9:17 p.m. — Jeff Petry with a good point shot that handcuffs Vasilevskiy, but he covers the puck. Canadiens have now had seven of the last 10 shots.

9:16 p.m. — Period starts with 4-on-4 action. Fun fact: Maroon and Edmundson were teammates on the 2019 Stanley Cup champion Blues.

9:11 p.m. — Pat Maroon and Joel Edmundson get unsportsmanlike minors at the end of the first period.

First period: Canadiens 1, Lightning 0

8:58 p.m. — Quick nugget from Natural Stat Trick: Canadiens finished the period with a Corsi For percentage of 30.77 percent at 5v5. At one point, around 7 minutes left, it was under 15 percent. At all strengths, it's at 25 percent.

8:56 p.m. — Some chit-chatting on the ice between the teams as guys like Maroon, Gallagher, Edmundson and Gourde get involved.

8:56 p.m. — Period and penalty come to an end. Montreal leads 1-0.

8:55 p.m — With about 30 seconds left on the power play, Point hits the post.

8:54 p.m. — Now a 5-on-4 for Tampa Bay.

8:53 p.m. — Edmundson called for slashing. Lightning will have a 4-on-3 for 34 seconds.

8:51 p.m — Coincidental minors and it'll be 4-on-4.

8:50 p.m. — Vasilevskiy plays the puck behind the net and it pops out awkwardly but he pokes the puck away.

8:47 p.m. — Scramble in front and Canadiens in the crease. Vasilevskiy takes umbrage to that and pops Corey Perry.

8:45 p.m. — GOAL. With Cole Caufield occupying the defense, Nick Suzuki drops down with the puck and feeds Josh Anderson as he crashes the net. The new line clicks on the Canadiens' second shot of the game and the team gets its first lead of the SCF. Montreal leads 1-0.

8:42 p.m. — Now 8 minutes to go in the first period and the Canadiens are being outshot 11-1.

8:32 p.m. — First TV timeout with 12:16 left and the Canadiens do not have a shot on goal. Tampa Bay has eight.

8:24 p.m. — Canadiens look nervous. A bad giveaway by Caufield leads to some sustained pressure by Tampa Bay. Price comes up big.

8:22 p.m. — Game on. Will we see the Stanley Cup tonight?

Pregame

8:21 p.m. — Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy in attendance at this one. The trio won 17 Cups with the Canadiens (19 overall).

8:15 p.m. — Moment of silence held for Blue Jacket goalie Matiss Kivlenieks who passed away on July 4.

8:07 p.m. — Killorn is not playing. Mathieu Joseph stays in the lineup. He was a scratch for Game 6 against the Stars last year.

8:04 p.m. — Super Bowl champion Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

7:47 p.m. — Killorn is participating in warmups but it's looking like he won't play.

MORE: Alex Killorn injury update

7:40 p.m. — There is a watch party at Amalie Arena.

7:30 p.m. — The Habs new lines this morning.

Stanley Cup 2021: Latest news

Jackie Spiegel