With the series tied 1-1, the Montreal Canadiens were hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night at the Bell Centre. After coming some seven minutes away from taking a 2-0 lead in the series on Tuesday night, the Habs looked deflated in overtime and couldn’t even muster one shot on net after the Bolts survived Scott Sabourin’s brain cramp.

Despite Kirby Dach’s pair of gaffes on Tuesday night, Martin St-Louis elected not to make any changes to his lineup, despite the storm it caused in town. There was a lot of talk in town about what the coach would decide to do, but after he came out in a Zoom availability to defend his player, it became clear it was unlikely. St-Louis is not one to be swayed by popular opinion, either. Why would you care what someone thinks if you’d never ask them for advice?

Canadiens’ Hutson Is Making Smart Reads
Canadiens' Xhekaj Laughs Off Lightning's Self-Given Bad Guys Tag
Canadiens’ Caufield Big Tribute

As expected, the opening montage was something to behold, with the late great Ken Dryden narrating the opening before it moved on to a compilation of highlights from the season, including Pierre Houde’s marvelous call of Cole Caufield’s 50th goal. Unsurprisingly, it sent the Bell Center into a frenzy, and when Yvan Cournoyer appeared on the Jumbotron with the torch, the building erupted.

Incomparable #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/aG9Wj2847K

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) April 24, 2026

A Brand New Dach

After being treated as public enemy number one by fans all week, Dach flew out of the gates. Even though he didn’t have a shot on net in the first, he showed combativity, went through traffic and didn’t hesitate to take the hit when necessary. The newly formed fourth line, comprising Dach, Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier, scored the first goal less than five minutes into the game.

Dach was also called for a trip a bit later on, but there really wasn’t much to it. One would have thought that if they were going to call that, they’d call a corresponding embellishment, but it didn’t happen.

The Albertan wasn’t done, though. In the second frame, he scored to bring everyone back to square one after a great shift. He was set up all alone in front of the net and was stopped by Vasilevskiy, but seconds later, after battling to get the puck back, he beat him.

There’s no question that this was a great game for Dach, but he needs to do this when he doesn’t have anything to be forgiven about, not just when he got badly burned. The Dach who played on Friday is the one the Canadiens thought they were getting from the Chicago Blackhawks. It will be interesting to see if he can sustain that level of effort.

After the game, Dach declined to say what Martin St-Louis had said to him about Tuesday night’s game, but he still spoke about his coach:

I think Marty is a phenomenal coach and a great person. He’s able to level with you on a personal level and kind of understand what you, as a player, are going through. I think he’s also able to find how to get the best out of every one of us.

- Dach on St-Louis

As for the coach himself, he explained his decision to stick with Dach and not scratch him after Tuesday by saying he’s never going to give up on someone who hasn’t given up on themselves, calling Dach a great hockey player.

A Strange Second Frame

For the first half of the second frame, it looked like the Canadiens were handling a live grenade in their own zone. Unsurprisingly, it blew up in their faces when Jake Evans committed a turnover as he was exiting his zone. Hagel was allowed to walk in Montreal’s territory and take a shot that beat Jakub Dobes. It’s more than likely one that the Czech netminder would like to have back, but there’s no do-overs in hockey.

Still, after Ivan Demidov was sent to the box for a high stick, which Tampa couldn’t capitalize on, Dach tied the score, and the Bolts appeared shaken up, so much so that they took three penalties in a row, allowing the Canadiens three chances to take the lead. However, they did some good work on the penalty kill, giving the Canadiens no time to plan in the offensive zone or even to shoot much. After 40 minutes, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki didn’t have a single shot, while Juraj Slafkovsky only had one. Jon Cooper was doing a very good job at juggling in his lines to keep Cirelli on Suzuki despite not having the last change. He kept pulling guys off the ice to send Cirelli in whenever needed, and while St-Louis did see what he was doing, he decided not to be drawn into that, opting not to mess with his team’s rhythm.

First Line Troubles

If there’s one thing that has worked all year for the Canadiens, it’s their first line, but now, when it matters most and against a matchup master, they are struggling not only to score but even to get shots on goal. Still, on the bright side of things, the Canadiens are up 2-1 without their top line making much of an impact at even strength. Asked if it was a bit of a worry for him to be down 2-1 in the series, despite having shut down the opposition’s top line, Cooper explained:

I don’t know, we could be down 2-1, and they could be lighting it up, so we’ve got to take some positives out of what’s gone on. Sitting up here right now, choked because we just lost the game, but I think both teams would tell you that the series is far from over.

- Cooper on the Canadiens' first line

It was a particularly challenging night for Caufield; the sniper only managed one shot on goal and seemed to be fighting the puck all night long. Even his passes weren’t up to his usual standard. When he managed to take off on a breakaway, alone against Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Bell Centre crowd buzzed with excitement, but he ended up fanning on the shot. The Habs have three clear-cut breakaways on the night, that one, Demidov’s and Anderson’s, but failed to score on any of them.

Had the Canadiens lost the game, they would have only themselves to blame for so many missed opportunities, not just on those sequences, but also on the power play, where they were unsuccessful on five-man advantages.

Thankfully for them, though, Lane Hutson called the game early in the overtime period, scoring on a slapshot while Kirby Dach’s line was once again on the ice. The blueliner recognized the opportunities with plenty of big bodies in front of Tampa’s netminder. He elected to give it a shot, and the puck found its way in the back of the net. Funnily enough, before the overtime period, he had joked in the room that he was going to put the game away, and that he did.

Btw… Watch Kirby Dach slowly move into the crease to screen Vasilefskiy before Lane Hutson blasted the puck in!!#GoHabsGo  #WolfPack🐺#DriveFor25🏆#HabsNation🇹🇭#AllInTogether💪🏻 #Believe🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/3mgYih5kds

— GoHabsGoⓂ️ontreal (@PeterStHabs) April 25, 2026

Montreal will have an optional skate tomorrow morning before playing game four on Sunday night at the Bell Centre.

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The Chicago Blackhawks haven't been a playoff team in a long time, but their rebuild truly began towards the end of the 2021-22 season. They went into that season expecting to win, and were one of the worst teams in the NHL. 

They started that year without a first-round pick because they traded it to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Seth Jones trade, which is a move a team trying to make the playoffs makes. 

With Chicago's original pick, Columbus selected David Jiricek 6th overall. He's been traded twice, so it didn't hurt the Blackhawks all that much. That's especially true since the Blackhawks acquired three first-round picks in that 2022 Draft through three separate trades. 

One of those picks came from the Blackhawks trading Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens. In return for Dach, the Blackhawks received the 13th overall pick. The selection originally belonged to the New York Islanders before it landed with the Canadiens. 

Chicago used that selection on Frank Nazar, who is now one of the players they believe is a part of the core. Nazar is someone who could play wing or center on any line, with exceptional skills in all three zones. 

The tools are there for him to be a high-end offensive player, and he's already shown flashes of being a star in this league. 

Nazar's skills and age fit the current state of the Chicago Blackhawks significantly more than Dach's, so this was an incredible trade in hindsight when evaluating the rebuild. 

Since going to Montreal, things have been up and down for Dach. He is not one of their cornerstone stars, but he fits in with their younger core. 

Just as the trade that sent Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning (the Blackhawks got Oliver Moore and Sacha Boisvert in return) has made the Blackhawks' future brighter, so has this deal involving Dach. 

Hagel and Dach are currently facing off in a first-round playoff series between Montreal and Tampa Bay. On Friday, they each made a big impact in Game Three. 

During regulation, Hagel had a go-ahead goal, then Dach tied it up (he also had an assist on their first goal). In overtime tied at two, the Canadiens won on a goal scored by Lane Hutson. Dach didn't collect a point on the goal, but he created the screen in front of Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. 

This was a redeeming game for Dach, who did not play well in their game two loss (also in overtime). J.J. Moser's overtime winner in that one was mostly due to a bad defensive play by Dach. 

There was a thought that Montreal coach Martin St. Louis would scratch Dach, but he stuck by his player. St. Louis was rewarded for this decision, as Dach and his 4th line mates were the best trio on the ice for most of the match. 

After dealing with those aforementioned ups and downs throughout his tenure in Montreal, Dach was thrilled to have a game like that. 

"I love playing here. I love the fans," Dach said after the win. "They've stuck with me through a lot of hard years".

“I love playing here, I love the fans. They’ve stuck with me through a lot of hard years.”

Kirby Dach chats with @sportsnetkyle following the Canadiens’ Game 3 win. pic.twitter.com/4MMWc3qStt

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 25, 2026

Hagel didn't have the same warm feelings after the win, but there is nobody debating that he has been the best forward on either team throughout the series. If the Lightning are going to get past the Canadiens, he will have to be a big part of the comeback. This series has been a treat to watch with two former Blackhawks playing key roles in outcomes. 

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Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (0-3) @ Philadelphia Flyers (3-0)

When: 8:00 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and NBC Sports Philadelphia, nationally on TBS and TruTV, streaming on HBO Max

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins need to win tonight to force Game 5, which would take place Monday in Pittsburgh at a time yet to be determined.

Opponent Track: The Flyers are up 3-0 after outscoring the Pens by a combined score of 11-4. They’re riding a six-game win streak dating back to the end of the regular season.

Hidden Stat: Teams that gain a 3-0 lead in an NHL playoff series have gone on to win 209 out of 213 times.

Hidden Stat II: Stuart Skinner is two years removed from coming close to a historic reverse sweep with the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers had fallen into an 0-3 hole to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final when he backstopped the team to three straight wins and forced a Game 7.

Getting to know the Flyers

Projected lines (from Thursday’s practice)

FORWARDS

Tyson Foerster – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett

Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone

Denver Barkey – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov

Luke Glendening – Sean Couturier – Garnet Hathaway

DEFENSEMEN

Travis Sanheim / Rasmus Ristolainen

Cam York / Jamie Drysdale

Nick Seeler / Noah Juulsen

Goalies: Dan Vladar (?) and Samuel Ersson

Potential scratches: Garrett Wilson, Carl Grundstrom, Alex Bump, Emil Andrae

Injured Reserve: Rodrigo Abols (fractured ankle), Nikita Grebenkin (upper body)

Goaltending questions

The biggest Game 4 question for the Flyers will be who is starting in net.

Rick Tocchet said Thursday that Dan Vladar is “a little banged up.” The Flyers goaltender had what Tocchet described as “maintenance days” on both Thursday and Friday, and he’s considered a game-time decision heading into Game 4.

"Another maintenance day for him, two days off is going to help him. … We'll see how he is tomorrow."

– Rick Tocchet on Dan Vladar's status a day before Saturday's Game 4

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 24, 2026

Vladar was in visible discomfort after taking contact from Bryan Rust in the third quarter of Wednesday’s Game 3. He at times appeared to be limited in his movements after that play.

Dan Vladar is in some discomfort following this play on the Penguins power play

He stayed in between the pipes for the Flyers afterwards pic.twitter.com/vCduzS0m10

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 23, 2026

If Vladar is unable to play Saturday, the Flyers will turn back to Samuel Ersson. Ersson has started just one game over the last few weeks, and it was the Flyers’ regular-season finale after they’d already clinched their playoff spot.

Ersson’s overall numbers for the season (.870 SV%, 3.12 GAA) aren’t great, but he picked up his game after the Olympic break in February (.912 SV% and 1.8 GAA in nine games since then, per Hockey Reference).

SAMUEL ERSSON WITH AN INCREDIBLE STOP! 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/Xhz91wpqJJ

— NHL (@NHL) March 30, 2026

If Vladar is hurting, the Flyers have enough cushion with their three-game series lead to see if Ersson can build on that momentum in Game 4.

“I’m not really worried if he had to play,” Tocchet said about Ersson Friday, per NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman. “He’s locked in. Even in practice. If his number is called, he’ll be ready to go.”

And now for the Pens

Projected lines (from Friday’s practice)

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kris Letang

Ryan Shea / Ilya Solovyov

Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs

Potential Scratches: Justin Brazeau, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany, Connor Clifton

IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)

• Chinakhov is back on a line with Malkin, reuniting what’s been a solid combo from the regular season.

Malkin, on Chinakhov: "We play, like, 10 or 15 games together (when he got here). He’s a great player. I try helping him tomorrow, hopefully we score, and just play simple. Give him chance to shoot. He has great speed, great shot. Just play together. Stay close." https://t.co/j3QGUxd6RQ

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) April 24, 2026

• It looks like Elmer Soderblom is drawing back into the lineup and Justin Brazeau is back out, based on Friday’s practice lines.
• Another change saw Ilya Solovyov slotting in on the bottom defense pairing alongside Ryan Shea in place of Connor Clifton.

The Penguins’ top power-play unit scored during a drill and all five skaters gathered in the crease for a mock celebration standing over Stuart Skinner.

A fairly loose atmosphere considering the circumstances. pic.twitter.com/90eBjTq6Cb

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) April 24, 2026

Sidney Crosby: "I think being in this position, you can't look too far ahead. Just got to look at what's in front of you, and that's tomorrow, and making sure we put our best game on the ice."

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) April 24, 2026

Evgeni Malkin: "I just play my game tomorrow, and I hope it's not over and we're back to Pittsburgh, because we want to play in front of our fans, too. They deserve (for us to) play at home."

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) April 24, 2026

• The Pens’ goalscoring through three postseason games have been limited to Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin (2). They’ll hope that list gets longer in Game 4.
• The Penguins have controlled play for parts of this series, including late in Game 2 and early in Game 3. This team has yet to maintain that level of control for an entire playoff game. Whether or not Dan Muse and his players can figure out how to change that will determine whether the season ends tonight.
• Part of those changes will involve avoiding retaliatory penalties. The Penguins acknowledged the scrums around the midway point of Game 3 seemingly energized the home team. Avoiding a repeat of that brawl, which swung the momentum of Wednesday’s loss, could be key to the Penguins finding a way to win for the first time this series.

Fans flocked to the Delta Center on Friday with plenty of reasons to be excited about the Utah Mammoth. In just their second year of franchise history, the Mammoth were about to host their first playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance and had just announced pregame that the Mammoth would host a Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve.

Their team certainly gave them something to cheer about. The Mammoth took a commanding lead halfway through the second period and held off a late Golden Knights push to secure a 4-2 win in their first home playoff game.

It took exactly 12:59 for the Mammoth to give the people what they wanted. After the Golden Knights lost a board battle, Keegan Kolesar disrupted a dangerous pass meant for Liam O’Brien. The puck came loose, and MacKenzie Weegar activated from the point and fired a clapper that hit Carter Hart in the mask, off his right pad, and into the net.

MacKenzie Weegar activates from the point, rips one home, and this place ERUPTS.

1-0, Mammoth

pic.twitter.com/oxg2hKFZXl

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 25, 2026

The Mammoth doubled their lead on their only power play opportunity of the night at 17:45 in the first. Logan Cooley set Dylan Guenther up for a one-timer, which he blasted home from the far side.

The Utah power play has scored a goal. Really nice puck movement and Dylan Guenther unleashed a shot that actually might’ve been a bit slow for his standards.

2-0, Mammoth

pic.twitter.com/bn0lwf1wa6

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 25, 2026

Hockey is a game of momentum, and a two-goal deficit is nothing for the 2026 Golden Knights. But things got away from them in the second period, and Lawson Crouse scored twice in a 5:42 span to hammer the nail into the coffin.

The first came 4:06 into the second. The Mammoth won a defensive zone face-off, and MacKenzie Weegar took it the other way and found Lawson Crouse at center ice. Crouse fed Nick Schmaltz; Schmaltz entered the zone and set Crouse up for his first goal of the postseason.

Utah’s top line this time. Lawson Crouse with a really great deflection.

3-0, Mammoth

pic.twitter.com/vVzlsSjHgw

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 25, 2026

At 9:48 in the second, the Mammoth capitalized on another Golden Knights mistake. Clayton Keller intercepted a clearing attempt and found Lawson Crouse to keep the play alive. Crouse stepped into the slot and wristed a shot past Carter Hart for his second of the night.

That top line is really cooking now. Lawson Crouse with his second of the night.

4-0, Mammoth

pic.twitter.com/JNRr1w0LpI

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 25, 2026

The Golden Knights finally solved Karel Vejmelka at 13:20 in the second. Mark Stone found Ivan Barbashev in front of the net, and Jack Eichel cleaned up the change.

Golden Knights get one back. Eichel’s first of the playoffs.

4-1, Mammoth

pic.twitter.com/hEtObqafG5

— Hannah Kirkell (@h_kirk6) April 25, 2026

The Golden Knights pushed in the third period, and, in addition to limiting the Mammoth to one shot on goal, scored again with 3:18 remaining in regulation. Cole Smith set up Nic Dowd for his second of the postseason to cut Utah’s lead to two.

Nic Dowd - Vegas Golden Knights (2)* pic.twitter.com/AUt1ciIQYx

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 25, 2026

Dowd’s goal gave them a new lease on life, and the Golden Knights pulled Carter Hart for the extra attacker. However, they didn’t register a shot on goal; despite an inability to hit the empty net, the Mammoth held on for a 4-2 win to take a 2-1 series lead.

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. Despite Friday marking the first home playoff game for the Utah Mammoth in franchise history, head coach John Tortorella wasn’t afraid of an energetic Delta Center. Instead, he saw it as something for his Golden Knights to feed off of.

“We loved coming to [T-Mobile Arena], because I think it helps the visiting team,” said Tortorella on Friday morning. “I think it’s a wash point, honestly. I think our players are entertainers. They love playing in front of people, and I’m sure it’s going to be very exciting here tonight for both teams.”

To Tortorella’s credit, the Golden Knights didn’t seem intimidated by the raucous crowd. By the end of the second period, shots were 23-11 in favor of Vegas. But some demons are hard to exorcise– once again, despite recording 32 shots and generating38 total scoring chances, they simply couldn’t do the only thing that matters in hockey: actually score the goals.

2. Tortorella is quick to change his lines, but he’s not considering making a change in goal.

“I know Carter well enough; he wants to work through it. I have faith in him. There was no thought of taking him out [tonight],” Tortorella said postgame. “I don't look at his game [tonight] as being a real bad game; it was a weird game for him. But I know him so well. He has an attitude and a mental toughness about him at that position. He'll be fine.”

3. For better or worse, the players aren’t worried right now. This is a veteran group, and being down 2-1 in a series doesn’t frighten them. They believe in the process, and they believe that they’re on the right track.

“We’re not going to win every single game. You do the math– you could lose 12 and still win the Stanley Cup,” Nic Dowd said postgame. “If any team plays the right way, and they do it consistently, they’re going to come out on top eventually.”

The Golden Knights are doing— and saying— the right things. But if the last three years are anything to go by… Well, you know what they say about the road to hell.

Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division)

Montreal, Quebec; Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT

LINE: Lightning -116, Canadiens -104; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Canadiens lead series 2-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Friday for the eighth time this season. The Canadiens won the last matchup 3-2 in overtime.

Montreal is 18-9-2 against the Atlantic Division and 48-24-10 overall. The Canadiens have a 21-6-6 record in games decided by one goal.

Tampa Bay is 17-9-3 against the Atlantic Division and 50-26-6 overall. The Lightning have a 17-7-4 record when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Suzuki has scored 29 goals with 72 assists for the Canadiens. Juraj Slafkovsky has four goals and five assists over the last 10 games.

Brandon Hagel has 36 goals and 38 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has four goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 6-3-1, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.6 assists, 5.7 penalties and 14.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

Lightning: 4-4-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.1 assists, 6.7 penalties and 17.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

INJURIES: Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).

Lightning: Charle-Edouard D'Astous: day to day (undisclosed), Victor Hedman: out (personal), Pontus Holmberg: out (upper-body).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Boston Bruins (45-27-10, in the Atlantic Division)

Boston; Sunday, 2 p.m. EDT

LINE: Bruins -115, Sabres -105; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Sabres lead series 2-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres visit the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Thursday for the eighth time this season. The Sabres won 3-1 in the last meeting.

Boston has a 45-27-10 record overall and a 12-14-3 record in Atlantic Division games. The Bruins rank second in league play serving 11.9 penalty minutes per game.

Buffalo has a 50-23-9 record overall and an 18-7-4 record in Atlantic Division play. The Sabres have a 46-4-8 record when scoring three or more goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Morgan Geekie has 39 goals and 29 assists for the Bruins. Mark Kastelic has three goals and one assist over the last 10 games.

Rasmus Dahlin has 19 goals and 55 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has scored six goals and added four assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 3-5-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.5 assists, 4.4 penalties and 10.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game.

Sabres: 6-3-1, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.7 assists, 5.3 penalties and 14.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

INJURIES: Bruins: None listed.

Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Sam Carrick: out (arm), Josh Norris: day to day (undisclosed), Justin Danforth: out for season (kneecap).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

MONTREAL (AP) — What a difference 72 hours made for Kirby Dach.

On Tuesday, the Montreal forward drew the ire of fans after an ill-timed icing and a defensive lapse in overtime led to J.J. Moser’s winning goal in a 3—2 Game 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

By Friday night in front of a roaring Bell Centre crowd, Dach flipped the script, turning frustration into redemption with a goal and an assist in the Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime win that gave Montreal a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

“I think you take that night (Tuesday) and you kind of sit on it, dwell on it and understand what you could have done better,” Dach said. “Come Wednesday morning, you’ve got to be able to move on and get ready for tonight’s game."

The vitriol spewed online toward the Dach following the Game 2 loss, forcing the 6-foot-4 center to delete his Instagram account.

Many Canadiens fans also took to social media and local sports talk radio phone lines, calling for coach Martin St. Louis to scratch the forward in favor of Joe Veleno or veteran Brendan Gallagher.

St. Louis wasn’t having any of it.

“I’m not going to give up on a player unless he gives up on himself,” St. Louis said. “Kirby Dach is a really good hockey player. Like any good player, they make mistakes sometimes at key moments. It happens to everyone. It happens to a lot of good players. For sure, he was upset but that’s not a reason to give up on a player.”

Canadiens fans in attendance on Friday were quick to shower the 25-year-old player with love from the get-go. Dach was given a hearty ovation when shown on the scoreboard during warm-ups, with fans chanting “Kir-by! Kir-by!” both before and throughout the game.

“I didn’t really expect it, so it was nice,” Dach said. “The fans have been unbelievable for us all year. For me, they’ve stuck by my side through a lot. It definitely meant a lot.”

Those chants only increased following Dach’s assist on linemate Alexandre Texier’s opening goal early in the first period.

The applause reached a crescendo following confirmation of Dach’s second-period tally, a shot from inside the faceoff circle that bounced off Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh and past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie it at 2.

The newly-formed line of Dach, Texier and Zachary Bolduc, playing together for the first time all season, were on the ice for all three Canadiens goals, including Lane Hutson’s overtime score 2:09 into the extra session. The trio finished the game with a combined six points and six of Montreal’s 29 shots on goal on the night.

It has been a trying season for the oft-injured Dach, having scored just eight goals and 15 points across 37 games during the regular season. His offensive output Friday marked Dach’s first goal and first point at the Bell Centre since Feb. 28. It was also the forward’s first multi-point outing since Jan. 29.

“I’ve been through a lot on the injury front,” Dach said. “I’ve gone through the ups and downs of it and the learning lessons of what it takes and maybe what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve kind of found a recipe to be able to stay in game shape and sharp in the mind mentally and physically be ready to go when it’s time to go.”

Game 4 is Sunday in Montreal.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

MONTREAL (AP) — Lane Hutson scored on a slap shot at 2:09 of overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series that has opened with three extra-time thrillers.

Hutson fired a shot from the top of right circle that went through traffic and found the top left corner behind goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy on the only shot on goal in overtime.

Kirby Dach tied it for Montreal with 7:17 left in the second period. He fired a snap shot through traffic from the top of the right circle that beat Vasilevskiy on the short side.

Game 4 is Sunday night in Montreal. The Canadiens took the opener 4-3 on Sunday and the Lightning countered 3-2 on Tuesday night.

MAMMOTH 4, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lawson Crouse scored twice in a 5:42 span in the second period and Utah won the first NHL playoff game in the state, beating Vegas for a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Monday night in Salt Lake City. In Las Vegas in the first two games, Vegas won the opener 4-2 on Sunday and Utah replied with a 3-2 victory Tuesday.

The Mammoth are in their second season in Utah after leaving Arizona.

MacKenzie Weegar and Dylan Guenther scored for Utah in the first period, with Guenther striking on a power play. Crouse had a tip-in at 4:06 of the second and struck on a long shot at 9:48 to make it 4-0.

Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves for the Mammoth, who had only 12 shots on goal against Carter Hart. Clayton Keller had two assists.

DUCKS 7, OILERS 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson scored 42 seconds apart in the third period, Mikael Granlund had a goal and two assists, and Anaheim celebrated their first home playoff game in eight years with a victory over Edmonton and a 2-1 series lead.

Jeffrey Viel and Jackson LaCombe also scored in the third and Lukas Dostal made 20 saves for the upstart Ducks, who have poured in 16 goals in three games to take an early lead in this first-round series against the two-time Western Conference champion Oilers. Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn scored early goals.

Hundreds of fans who tossed their Golden Knights jerseys into a bin in exchange for a Utah Mammoth sweater before Game 3 of the teams' opening round series had plenty to cheer about Friday night.

The Mammoth scored four unanswered goals and held off Vegas' late rally for a 4-2 win in Salt Lake City to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series.

Lawson Crouse scored twice in the second period, including the game-winning goal, to lead Utah's offensive attack. MacKenzie Weegar and Dylan Guenther also scored for the Mammoth, while Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots.

Jack Eichel scored his first goal of the postseason in the second period, while Nic Dowd cut Utah's lead in half in the third period with his second of the postseason. Carter Hart made eight saves, as Utah managed just 12 shots.

"They got the first goal, I thought we came in, we had a good first 10 minutes," Eichel said. "We knew it was gonna be a good environment. I thought we played a good game. It was a bit of a weird one. We didn't give up a ton."

Vegas' 20-shot differential made it difficult to understand how the Knights lost an ample opportunity to steal the home-ice edge back, especially with Utah managing just one shot in the third period.

The Mammoth continued to do a good job of slowing Vegas' offensive attack in the neutral zone, which has meant quality chances from the offensive zone.

Vejmelka, for the most part though, was a wall for the Mammoth, improving to 2-1 in the postseason after allowing just two goals for the second straight game.

"It's always unfortunate when you lose, there's gonna be games where you play great and you don't get the outcome that you want," said Dowd, who added three shots to his goal. "I think there's a reason why it's a seven-game series and not a one-game playoff or a three-game series. You're not gonna win every single game. You do the math, you can lose 12 and still win a Stanley Cup.

"We're on to the next game."

KEY MOMENT

With former Knight Nate Schmidt in the box for an interference call against Tomas Hertl, Vegas had a chance to seize momentum by scoring a power-play goal before the second intermission. A goal would have cut Utah's lead in half, and clearly would have been momentous for Vegas coming out of the locker room down 4-2, rather than 4-1.

KEY STAT

0 for 4 ... After finishing the regular season with the sixth-best power play (24.6%), the Knights failed to capitalize on any of their four opportunities in Game 3. They were 1 for 1 in Game 1 and 1 for 4 in Game 2, but failed four times in Game 3. After a power play in each of the first two periods, two more came in the third period, but the Knights couldn't bully the newest franchise.

"Obviously, the power play, we have to find a way to score as a group," Eichel said. "We hit two hockey posts in that second one in the second period. It just needs to be simplified, urgency, get pucks to the net, crash the net. But at the same time, we gotta be confident when we have it and make the right play. Unfortunately, we weren't able to score tonight. It's something we need to help the team with the man advantage."

WHAT A KNIGHT

Eichel appeared to be as active as he could have been during 22:23 time on ice. He had three shots to go along with his goal. He also registered 6:37 TOI during the power play, and another 0:25 during a penalty kill. Last season, after the Knights fell behind 1-2 in their opening-round series with the Minnesota Wild, Eichel had an assist in the Knights' 4-3 overtime win in Game 4, the first of six straight playoff games that he registered a point.

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights continue their best-of-seven playoff series with the Mammoth in Game 4 from Salt Lake City on Monday.

"We're a veteran group," Eichel said. "We've been in a situation of being down in series. We know it's a best-of-seven. In terms of a response, just go out there and play our game. Do the things that make us successful. We're gonna prepare for Monday and go find a way to win a hockey game."

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) plays the puck against the Utah Mammoth during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center.

Well, it's do-or-die time for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Heading into Game 4 of their first-round matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, they find themselves buried in a 3-0 series hole and will be forced to take things one game at a time. Up to this point in the series, the Penguins have scored just four goals and surrendered 11, and captain Sidney Crosby - historically, very effective against the Flyers - has just one point. 

It's a very tall mountain for the Penguins to climb, and getting themselves back into this series won't be easy. Teams down 3-0 in a series are 4-209 all-time in NHL history, so comebacks of this nature almost never happen.

So, if the Penguins have any hope to be the fifth, they are going to need to make some adjustments. 

Much of what has been giving the Penguins headaches throughout this series so far has been the Flyers' stacking the blue line and playing a neutral zone trap that they can't seem to solve, forcing them to play dump-and-chase hockey that they aren't built for. While there's only so much they can do to counteract that issue, there are some adjustments they can make - lineup or otherwise - to give themselves better opportunities to score and lessen their chances of giving up prime scoring opportunities against. 

Here are three adjustments the Penguins should consider making prior to Game 4:

'You Don't Really Have Anything To Lose': With 3-0 Odds Stacked Against Them, Penguins Still Believe Comeback Is PossibleIt's no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a precarious spot down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. But they're not ready to give up or give in.

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Splitting up the Girard-Letang pairing

During the stretch run of the regular season, the pairing of Kris Letang and Sam Girard actually started to gain some traction and improve alongside one another.

But, in the playoffs, a reversion has happened. 

According to Moneypuck, the pairing of Girard and Letang has a measly 42.9 percent expected goals share. And, even if plus/minus is, generally, a pretty arbitrary stat, Letang is a minus-5 and Girard a minus-3 in this series - which are significant numbers across only three games and are the worst marks among Penguins' defensemen. 

It appears that Penguins' head coach Dan Muse is going back to this pairing in Game 4, even if Connor Clifton looks like he has been swapped out for Ilya Solovyov on the bottom pairing - another change that needed to happen. However, if things start off on the wrong foot yet again for Girard and Letang, Muse should have a short leash.

Even if the pairing wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire earlier in the season, reuniting Letang with a more familiar partner in Ryan Shea might not be the worst thing. It also gives the Penguins a puck-moving defenseman on each pairing as well as a more traditional stay-at-home partner on each. 

Again, if things look bleak early, this should be a default move for Muse.

Flyers Have Significant Goaltending Edge After Latest Penguins Lineup ChangeWith a commanding 3-0 series lead, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> are about to face a desperate Pittsburgh Penguins team doing anything it can to stay alive in the stanley Cup playoffs.

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Putting Chinakhov on the first PP unit, out in six-on-five

Everyone knows by now just how lethal a shot Egor Chinakhov possesses. He may not be playing his best hockey in this series, and he has missed the net with a glaring frequency in these first three games. 

But, at the end of the day, he shoots the puck. And he's got a talent for it, too. In a series and in situations where goals are absolutely necessary, why isnt' he on the ice?

Chinakhov being on the first power play unit is something that should have happened ages ago. He has enough defensive awareness to cover up high and man the left point on the power play, and he - obviously - has a weapon as a shoot-first type from that spot.

But, even more so than the first power play unit, the fact that he is not deployed in six-on-five situations is simply mind-boggling. 

In the game's most desperate few minutes, teams should be deploying the players on the ice that give them the best chance to put the puck in the net. Chinakhov scored at a 34-goal pace with the Penguins during the regular season, and - again - his devastating shot and reputation as a shoot-first player are huge reasons why. 

With a weapon like that at your disposal, why not use him? Again, with the awareness he's shown, there's no harm, no foul in having him out in these situations. And, when your team needs a goal most, perhaps it makes sense to have arguably your best goal-scorer on the ice. 

Pittsburgh Penguins At Philadelphia Flyers Game 4 Preview: Penguins Make A Goalie Change Ahead Of Elimination GameThe Pittsburgh Penguins will look to extend their season on Saturday night.

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Having a strong forechecker on every line

This is an adjustment that Muse is seemingly making for Game 4, and it's an important one. 

The truth of the matter is that the Penguins cannot continue to attack the Flyers the same way they have been in the first three games and expect different results. They need to use the middle of the ice more, play more of a dump-and-chase style when necessary, and use energy and offensive zone pressure to overwhelm the Flyers in their own zone. 

And this is why having a good forechecker on each line is going to be key for the Penguins.

To be honest, I do think a guy like Avery Hayes in this series could have made a great deal of difference on the third line. This is the exact style that suits a player like him. But, without him as an option, the Penguins have Bryan Rust on the first line (as well as Rickard Rakell, who also excels at certain aspects of the forecheck), Tommy Novak on the second, Elmer Soderblom on the third, and, well, pretty much all three of those types on the fourth line. 

The Penguins will need to play some "get-your-hands-dirty" hockey in order to win this game and have a shot at coming back in this series. They need to generate more around the net-front and more second-chance opportunities, but it all starts with deploying players who can win footraces to pucks, win puck battles, win physical battles, and get the cycle going. 

Hopefully, the lineup deployment in this game will help lend to doing that. Good forechecking will be essential for the Penguins. 

3 Penguins Who Must Bounce Back In Game 4 vs. FlyersIf the Penguins hope to keep their season alive, they will need these players to bounce back in Game 4.

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are bringing in some reinforcements for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. 

They have officially signed forwards Kale Dach, Jordan Charron, and Travis Hayes to amateur tryout agreements. The news was released on Thursday. 

Dach was picked by the Penguins in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL Draft and just wrapped up a great season with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen, finishing with 34 goals and 75 points in 63 games. He also compiled three goals and seven points in seven playoff games. 

The Penguins have signed Kale Dach, Jordan Charron and Travis Hayes to amateur tryout agreements.
All three forwards were drafted by Pittsburgh in this past summer's 2025 NHL Entry Draft.https://t.co/YjWqK3T59Bpic.twitter.com/D4fFtEnqYC

— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) April 23, 2026

It will go down as his only season in the WHL since he's committed to Penn State for the 2026-27 season. 

Charron was selected by the Penguins in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft and just played his second season with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds. He finished with 25 goals and 47 points in 66 games before compiling three goals and four points in 10 playoff games. 

Hayes was a fourth-round pick by the Penguins in last year's draft and has been Charron's teammate for the last two years. He finished the 2025-26 season with 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games and had one goal and three points in 10 playoff games. He's also the younger brother of Avery Hayes. 

WBS is still waiting to learn who it will face in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins' season will be on the line in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Penguins are down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Flyers and will be eliminated from the playoffs with one more loss. Now, if they win, they'd send the series back to Pittsburgh for a Game 5. 

However, there's still a chance that Saturday's game could be Evgeni Malkin's final game as a Penguin since he's set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He spoke to the media about it on Friday and, once again, confirmed that he wants to be back with the Penguins next year and retire a Penguin. 

“I hope it’s not over," Malkin said, via King Jemison of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I hope we’re still fighting. And my future again, I say the same thing. I want to be here. I want to be part of a team next year, too, and I want to be retired in Pittsburgh. But it’s not my choice. It’s Kyle’s decision. New owners, probably, too."

Evgeni Malkin on his future: “I hope it’s not over. I hope we’re still fighting. And my future, again … I want to be here. I want to be part of a team next year, too, and I want to be retired in Pittsburgh. But it’s not my choice. It’s Kyle’s decision. New owners probably, too.” pic.twitter.com/VZ6fHYAstT

— King Jemison (@king_jemison) April 24, 2026

Malkin has been one of the Penguins' best players in this series, compiling two goals and three points in three games. He also finished the regular season with 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games. 

He has shown that he can still play at a strong level in the NHL, but it'll be up to general manager/president Kyle Dubas if he returns. 

Puck drop for Game 4 on Saturday is set for 8 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV, HBO Max, and SportsNet Pittsburgh.

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Two of the Islanders’ biggest holes should fill themselves this offseason.

The Isles struggled all year to adequately replace Kyle Palmieri’s production after he tore his ACL, and ended up trading a third-round pick to the Rangers for Carson Soucy in an attempt to fill the hole left by Alexander Romanov’s shoulder injury.

Both players are expected to be back without any limitations on day one of training camp which does, at least, change some of the contours of the offseason, even if their returns will come too late to save the Islanders from missing the playoffs.

“Disgusting. Terrible,” Romanov said of how it felt to miss all but 15 games this year. “It’s really tough to just watch hockey all season long and just practicing and rehabbing. That’s what I was dealing with.”

Had the Islanders made the playoffs, Romanov would likely be in the lineup right now. When the season ended, he had rejoined practices and was getting close to playing in games. His summer should be close to normal, albeit with a little extra work on his shoulder.

The same doesn’t necessarily hold true for Palmieri. While he may have attempted a comeback had the Islanders made a deep run, he said on breakup day that he’s “got a couple more months here of the day to day of the rehab stuff.”

The history of players returning from ACL injuries also shows that it usually takes some time to play at the same level as before; Anders Lee, for example, has talked before about not feeling like himself for much of his first season back after suffering the same injury.

The speed at which Palmieri recovers, and the role Romanov ends up playing, are both massive questions for the Islanders’ 2026-27 hopes.

The Islanders were depending on Palmieri to score 25-30 goals and finish with around 50 points when they signed him to a two-year extension last summer, and after his injury, that production was never really replaced. In a free agency class that’s not highly regarded by general manager Mathieu Darche, it’s doubtful there’s an easy option available on the open market for the Islanders to plug into their top six either.

So there’s a strong possibility that a lot hinges on their hope that Palmieri can recover his game quickly.

“I’m a little over four months post-op. It’s feeling really good on the ice,” said Palmieri, who had begun skating on his own before the season ended. “I’m looking forward to putting this behind me and having a pretty normal summer as far as training and getting ready for the season.”

As for Romanov, his reentry into the fold presents Darche with an interesting dilemma on the left side of the blue line. 

After Matthew Schaefer’s ascendence into superstardom came so quickly, Romanov — who the Islanders signed to an eight-year deal at $6.25 million annually last summer — suddenly looks like the third-pair defenseman, behind both Schaefer and Adam Pelech.

That trio also means there’s no obvious spot for Isaiah George, another lefty, to play after a season in which injuries meant George never really got his chance while the Islanders were searching for call-ups to replace Romanov.

Do the Islanders move someone to their off-side, given their depth chart is much thinner on the right? Or do they explore moving one of Pelech, who has a 16-team no-trade clause, or George? That could be one route to improving the forward group, but it would amount to another major bet on Romanov, who’s coming off a serious injury and who struggled through the first 15 games of this season before getting hurt.

How that situation sorts itself out is a question for Darche to grapple with throughout the offseason.