TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nick Suzuki scored in the shootout, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 on Saturday night.
Suzuki beat Brian Elliott on a nifty backhander in the third round as Montreal won for the fourth time in 13 games (4-5-4).
Cole Caufield, Corey Schueneman, Josh Anderson and Jesse Ylonen scored in regulation for Montreal, and Jake Allen stopped 37 shots.
Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists, and Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point also scored for the Lightning. Elliott made 27 saves as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions had a four-game winning streak end.
Ylonen knotted it at 4 from the left circle at 2:18 of the third.
After Stamkos opened the scoring 8:57 into the game, Cirelli made it 2-0 at 13:32 of the first with a short-handed goal. It was the 10th short-handed score allowed by the Canadiens, who have the NHL’s second-worst power play.
The teams then combined for seven goals over the final 11:03 of the second period.
Caufield scored during a 2-on-none at 8:57 but Kucherov’s power-play goal made it 3-1 with with 8:26 to go in the period.
It was Kucherov’s second goal in his last 16 games, but the right wing has 15 assists over the stretch.
Goals by Schueneman and Anderson helped Montreal rally for the second time from a two-goal deficit. Anderson tied it at 3 on the breakaway after an errant Stamkos pass with 4:10 remaining in the second.
Point put the Lightning up 4-3 on a power-play goal with 15.6 seconds left in the second.
WELCOME BACK
Martin St. Louis, a former Lightning star and member of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion team, returned to Tampa for the first team as Montreal’s interim head coach.
“I grew up here so to speak as a young adult,” St. Louis said before the game. “It’s always going to be special for me to be in Tampa, whether I’m a coach or just somebody visiting because it’s a big part of my life.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Canadiens: Center Ryan Poehling (upper body) returned after missing nine games and had an assist. ... Goalie Carey Price (knee) skated a couple times during the past week and the team said his rehab is going well.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Host Ottawa on Tuesday night.
Lightning: Host Toronto on Monday night to completed a stretch of three home games in four days.
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