For 32 seconds, the Tampa Bay Lightning had things going their way.
They had just scored the tying goal, and only 21 seconds later, they scored the go-ahead goal against the Montreal Canadiens. Things were going according to plan.
And then, 32 seconds later, Montreal tied things up on a goal by Dale Weise, then went on and won in a shootout. The Canadiens broke a six-game losing streak with the win behind backup goalie Mike Condon, who stopped 36 shots (and two in the shootout).
Max Pacioretty scored the winning goal in the shootout.
For the Lightning, Nikita Kucherov scored in the first period, but the Canadiens took a 2-1 lead into the third. The Bolts scored two goals in 21 seconds after Jason Garrison and Ryan Callahan scored. It was Callahan’s first goal in 22 games.
But Weise scored the tying goal in controversial fashion. A review showed his goal was over the line, but the Bolts challenged that he was guilty of goaltender interference.
โWe had some pucks on our sticks that should have ended up in the net,โ said coach Jon Cooper. โWe had a lead and a chance to close it out.โ
Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop stopped 31 shots in the loss. Condon is 10-9 on the season.
The Lightning falls to 18-16-3 on the season. The Lightning plays the Rangers Wednesday night and the Wild on Saturday.
