Lightning hold off the Canadiens 5-4, extend winning streak to 4 games

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored twice, Gage Goncalves added two assists and had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Tampa Bay Lightning held off the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Sunday.

Oliver Bjorkstrand had two assists for Tampa Bay. Nick Paul and Pontus Holmberg also scored for the Lightning, who won their fourth straight game. Jonas Johansson stopped 32 shots and both attempts in the shootout.

Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice, including the tying goal with 3.8 seconds left, and added an assist as Montreal rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 in the third period to secure a point. Noah Dobson had a goal and an assist, and Ivan Demidov also scored for the Canadiens. Jacob Fowler finished with 18 saves for Montreal, which played its first game coming out of the Christmas break.

Kucherov scored two of Tampa Bay’s three goals in the second period.

Goncalves fed Kucherov for a breakaway goal at 2:28 of the second. Kucherov scored again at 12:11 when Goncalves missed a 2-on-1 chance wide, but Brayden Point picked up the rebound and quickly fed Kucherov above the crease.

Paul made it 3-0 at 14:49.

Demidov broke up Johansson’s shutout bid 1:06 into the third period, poking in a Slafkovsky pass above the paint. But Holmberg answered 34 seconds later, deflecting a Bjorkstrand pass to score in his fourth consecutive game. Montreal then scored three times in the final 10:44 of the third.

Slafkovsky started the comeback at 9:16 before and Dobson scored at 12:17 to make it a one-goal game.

Earlier Sunday, Tampa Bay activated Brandon Hagel from injured reserve after missing four games and placed defenseman Ryan McDonagh on injured reserve, three games after he returned from an 18-game absence.

Up next

Canadiens: At Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Lightning: At Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Montréal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (32) stops a shot by Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during overtime in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Montréal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) reacts after Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson (31) makes a save during a shootout in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) plays the puck in front of Montréal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (32) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Montréal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovský (20) prepares to score after getting around Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) scores past Montréal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (32) during a shootout in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina guard Austin Corbett didn't realize just how big of an opportunity the Panthers had squandered until coach Dave Canales spoke to the team in the locker room following Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

That's when Corbett found out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had lost to the Miami Dolphins at the same time the Panthers fell short.

All he could do was shake his head.

“It was like, ‘Shoot, we missed another one,’” Corbett said.

Because the Bucs lost, a win by the Panthers would have given them the NFC South title and ended a seven-year playoff drought.

Instead, Carolina (8-8) will head to Tampa Bay in Week 18 likely needing a victory to capture its first NFC South title since 2015. Carolina could also get in with a loss if Atlanta were to win its final two games, against the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints.

Canales had asked the Bank of America Stadium scoreboard operators to not show the score of the Tampa Bay-Miami game because he wanted his team to focus on the Seahawks.

In the end, what happened in South Florida didn't matter.

The Seahawks turned two third-quarter takeaways into 14 points and outscored the Panthers 24-7 in the second half.

“Now he have to get over the fact that we missed an opportunity with the Bucs losing that game," Canales said.

One thing the Panthers have shown this season is resiliency.

It started in early November when Carolina bounced back from a 40-9 drubbing at home to the Bills with a win at Lambeau Field against the Packers. The Panthers returned home the following week and lost to the last-place Saints, only to rebound with a 30-27 win the following week at Atlanta.

An ugly Monday night loss at San Francisco followed, but again the Panthers returned with a strong performance and stunned the visiting Rams 30-27.

After their bye, the Panthers lost to the Saints for a second time, giving away a valuable division tiebreaker. They followed that up with a 23-20 win over Tampa Bay last weekend.

“We keep doing this to ourselves,” Corbett said of the win-loss cycle. “We are making it hard on ourselves, winning pretty and then losing ugly.”

Canales knows he has a young team and said it's simply “who we are."

Quarterback Bryce Young was upbeat after Sunday's loss, confident the Panthers will bounce back and beat the Buccaneers for the second time in three weeks.

“That’s the goal,” Young said. “We’re not looking at the past. There’s nothing in this league that entitles you to the next (win). Once we have this 24 (hours), we’re going to go and grow. The goal is always to go 1-0. That’ll be the same and it’ll start with having the best week of practice that we can have. So we are excited for that process.”

Canales said his team has been good at “flushing” losses.

“The guys will be used to having this championship mindset,” Canales said. “The way I see it is we’ve been playing playoff football for over a month and every single one of these games has mattered. That’s the approach that we have to take. It heightens the focus and the guys come in ready to work.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders is treated on the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard pushes off Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon breaks up a pass intended for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)