Coming off of a huge victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing for the second night in a row, and starting their third-string goaltender, it would be understandable if the Tampa Bay Lightning had a bit of an off night. Instead they poured in seven goals and held off a third-period attempted comeback to move within two points of clinching a playoff spot by beating the Montreal Canadiens, 7-4.
The offense was led by Nick Paul and Steven Stamkos who had two goals each while Nikita Kucherov added another three points to his franchise record season total. Matt Tomkins held the fort in the third period after Montreal cut the lead to two goals as he picked up his second career NHL win, both against the Canadiens.