J.J. Moser netted his first playoff goal 12:48 into the extra period Tuesday night, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 comeback win over Montreal and tying their Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece.
The Lightning dominated the overtime session and capitalized when Moser secured the puck following a faceoff victory in the attacking zone. He maneuvered into position at the top of the right circle and fired a shot into the upper corner of the net.
Montreal had captured Game 1 in overtime but was completely outplayed in the extra frame of Game 2, managing zero shots while Tampa Bay recorded nine attempts. The series moves to Montreal for Game 3 on Friday.
Brandon Hagel contributed a goal and assist for Tampa Bay, while Nikita Kucherov added one goal. Anthony Cirelli recorded two assists and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots for the Lightning, who broke free from recent playoff struggles.
Avalanche 2, Kings 1 (OT)
Nicolas Roy found the net at 7:44 of overtime, propelling Colorado past Los Angeles in Denver and giving the Avalanche a 2-0 advantage in their Western Conference first-round matchup.
Gabriel Landeskog netted the equalizer late in regulation while Scott Wedgewood turned away 24 shots for Colorado. Wedgewood topped the NHL during the regular season with a 2.02 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.
Anton Forsberg stopped 34 shots for Los Angeles in his second career playoff appearance, both coming in this series. He has surrendered two goals or fewer in eight of his last nine outings.
Bruins 4, Sabres 2
Boston scored three times in the middle period and withstood a late Buffalo surge to level their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at one win each.
Viktor Arvidsson tallied in both the second and third periods, giving Boston 1-0 and 4-0 advantages. Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha also found the back of the net for the Bruins, who return home for Game 3 on Thursday. Jeremy Swayman recorded 34 saves.
Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scored for Buffalo, cutting the deficit to 4-2 in the final minutes. Buffalo netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen surrendered four goals on 19 shots before Alex Lyon took over in relief after Arvidsson’s second goal just 16 seconds into the third period.
Utah 3, Golden Knights 2
Logan Cooley scored the decisive goal on a rebound with six minutes left, delivering Utah its first playoff victory in franchise history over Vegas in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series in Las Vegas.
Cooley converted a rebound from a Dylan Guenther shot, knotting the series at one game each. Guenther registered a goal and assist, Kailer Yamamoto added two assists, and MacKenzie Weegar also scored. Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves, including a crucial stop on Mark Stone’s close-range attempt with five seconds remaining.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev each scored for Vegas, while Jack Eichel contributed two assists for the Golden Knights, who suffered their first regulation loss in 10 games (8-1-1) under coach John Tortorella. Carter Hart finished with 27 saves. Game 3 takes place Friday in Salt Lake City.
