Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Match Player Stats On Dec 31, 2023

Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist, Steven Stamkos set a franchise record, and the Lightning closed 2023 with a 4-3 rally over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on New Year's Eve.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the third, Kucherov assisted on Calvin de Haan's first goal at 7:49 before notching his team-leading 26th at 14:54.

Those points -- coming on the final two of four straight goals scored by the Lightning -- extended Kucherov's home point streak to 12 games (11 goals, 10 assists).

Brayden Point added a marker and Austin Watson scored one in his 500th NHL game while Victor Hedman had two helpers. Goaltender Jonas Johansson made 27 saves as the Lightning moved to 11-5-3 on home ice and 8-6-0 in the month.

A 16-year Lightning forward, Stamkos had an assist in his 1,038th career game, eclipsing the record set by former teammate Vincent Lecavalier.

The club played part of the second period and all of the third with just four defensemen after Erik Cernak and Haydn Fleury were injured.

Montreal's Cole Caufield, Johnathan Kovacevic and Nick Suzuki tallied, but the Canadiens lost their third straight game and finished 5-5-3 in December.

Goalie Sam Montembeault stopped 16 shots and earned his second career assist.

Montembeault and Johansson kept the game scoreless through 20 minutes with stellar saves on consecutive possessions near the 7:30 mark.

But on Stamkos' milestone night, the center turned the puck over in the second period after Caufield stripped the puck from him and popped in his 10th goal at 3:58, scoring in his second straight game.

In the game's first real physicality, Josh Anderson threw a massive check on Cernak behind the home goal just nine seconds later. Luke Glendening then defended his downed teammate by fighting Anderson.

Montreal made it 2-0 on a bizarre sequence that led to a goal at 11:59 in the period.

After Darren Raddysh sent a harmless shot that Montembeault saved, there appeared to be a stoppage in play despite no whistle.

With the Lightning making a line change and Johansson skating into the corner during what they thought was a break, Montembeault passed the puck to Kovacevic, who sent a 150-foot shot into the vacated net for his fifth score.

The Lightning were fired up after that, as Point notched his 17th on a breakaway at 14:01 and Watson his second by flipping a soft shot that bounced past Montembeault at 17:36.

--Field Level Media