There it is. There is the recap. It’s all in the title. The Tampa Bay Lightning close out the 2024 calendar year with a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov scored for the Bolts while Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and Brandan Gallagher scored for the Habs. Jonas Johansson, in his first Amalie Arena appearance of the season, stopped 31 of 34, while Sam Montembeault saved 21 of 23 for the win.
Look, we could be mad about the loss, but, honestly, we don’t have the energy. On one hand, it’s two points that the Lightning should have banked, but on the other, it’s one game in a vast sea of eighty-one contests.