The Tampa Bay Lightning were swept by the the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, and the Bolts got some revenge in the form of a 7-1 Tampa Bay Lightning win Monday night at Amalie Arena.
To add to the excitement, Bolts captain Steven Stamkos recorded a hat trick, the eighth of his NHL career.
If Stamkos was frustrated about not scoring in the first two games of the season, he didn’t let it show. With a career-high 12 shots on goal, Stamkos was able to score his first three tallies of the season.
The sniper’s first goal came on a power play in the first period, as he got his stick on a loose puck and flipped it past Montreal goaltender Carey Price to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Stamkos beat Price in a one-on-one situation set up by an impressive stretch pass from defenseman Victor Hedman. Then late in the second period, Habs center Manny Malhotra learned the hard way that if you give Stamkos any room on the man-advantage, he’s going to find the back of the net.
Stamkos now shares the franchise record for hat tricks with former teammate Martin St. Louis.
Habs defenseman P.K. Subban vowed after the game that Montreal won’t let Stamkos do that to them next time the two teams play.
“I’d tell Steven to enjoy it because the next time it’s not going to happen,” Subban told reporters following the loss.
Tampa Bay’s win ended Montreal’s three-game win streak.
Thumbnail image via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
