Nikita Kucherov hurt in Game 3 as Canadiens take series lead
Nikita Kucherov left Tampa Bay fans holding their breath Thursday night at the Bell Centre as the Canadiens won Game 3 in overtime, 3-2, taking a 2-1 series lead.
The incident happened in the first period. Kucherov attempted to hit Alexandre Carrier along the boards, missed the check entirely, and slammed hard into the dasher with no one to absorb the impact.
He stayed in the game. But the way he retreated to the bench, sat down, and went still for several minutes told a story on its own.
Kucherov had still been on the ice for Brayden Point's power play goal in the first period, recording an assist before the collision. After that? Quietly faded into the background.
He did not look like himself the rest of the night. Subdued. Minimal impact. For a player making $9.5 million against the cap and serving as Tampa's engine on every meaningful shift, that is not a good sign.
Jon Cooper is not going to say anything. That is just how this works in the playoffs.
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Lane Hutson ends it in OT as Canadiens push Tampa to the brink
Meanwhile, Lane Hutson delivered the dagger. Just over two minutes into overtime, the 22-year-old defenseman buried his second goal of the playoffs to end it, giving Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens a 2-1 series advantage.
Hutson finished the regular season with 78 points in 82 games. That kind of offensive instinct doesn't disappear in April.
The Bell Centre was rocking. And Tampa was left to wonder what it actually has at the top of its lineup heading into Game 4.
Montreal had 29 shots on goal to Tampa's 17. The Canadiens controlled this game for long stretches, and the score reflected that.
The Lightning did hang around. Brandon Hagel's unassisted goal in the second period gave them the lead, and Kirby Dach tied it late. But the tone of this game belonged to Montreal.
Game 4 is Sunday at the Bell Centre. If Kucherov is compromised, Tampa is in serious trouble.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 24 | 191 ANSWERS Nikita Kucherov hurt in Game 3 as Canadiens take series lead Is Kucherov's injury the moment that decides this series for Tampa Bay? | ||
| Yes | 123 | 64.4 % |
| No | 68 | 35.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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HIER
5 MAI 2026
| ||||
| B | P | PTS | ||
| Nathan MacKinnon | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Martin Necas | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brett Kulak | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Marcus Johansson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kirill Kaprizov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nicolas Roy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brent Burns | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Colton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Daemon Hunt | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brock Nelson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Danila Yurov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Blankenburg | - | - | - | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | - | - | |
| Jack Drury | - | - | - | |
| Brock Faber | - | - | - | |
| STATS COMPLÈTES | ||||