who won the hockey game last night was answered in dramatic fashion Friday night at the Bell Centre, where the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in overtime. Lane Hutson scored the winner, setting off a wave of noise, celebration, and relief across the rink and beyond. The result gave Montreal a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after a third straight overtime game.
Lane Hutson Delivers The Finish
The decisive moment came when Hutson blasted a slapshot from the blue line past Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The goal turned a tense playoff night into a surge of emotion, with fans jumping, screaming, singing Olé Olé, and flooding the area around the Bell Centre with celebration.
The crowd response was immediate and overwhelming. Smoke bombs went off, fireworks followed, and beer was thrown into the air as people hugged, shouted, and pressed against the steel fencing near the arena. The scene underscored how tightly the city has attached itself to the Canadiens during this playoff run.
who won the hockey game last night is not just a scoreboard question in Montreal right now. It is tied to the mood of a city that treated the win as something larger than a single game.
Bell Centre Crowd Sets The Tone
Thousands gathered outside the Bell Centre and more than 21, 000 were inside the building for Game 3. Smaller groups also packed bars across Montreal and the province, where the atmosphere stayed upbeat from the opening moments through the final horn.
One early sign of that energy came before the game, when fans stood for O Canada and sang in both official languages at Maison Publique McLean’s. The sense of unity carried through the night, with the home crowd loud enough to shape the mood from the opening faceoff to overtime.
Immediate Reactions After The Overtime Win
Fan reaction was blunt and emotional. One observer inside the crowd said everyone went nuts when Lane Hutson scored the winning goal, and that people were “jumping, screaming, and loudly singing Olé Olé. ”
Mitch Gallo, co-host of Campbell vs. Gallo and part of Canadiens pre- and post-game coverage on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, said the Bell Centre showed again why it has a reputation as one of the best buildings in the league. He pointed to the crowd noise, the pregame presentation, and the reception for Kirby Dach after his difficult Game 2 as evidence of the building’s impact.
What Montreal Took From Game 3
Game 3 also showed Montreal’s ability to stay composed after chances came and went. The Canadiens missed three breakaways and did not score on the power play, but still found a way to win in overtime and avoid a night that could have swung the series the other way.
Kirby Dach played a key role in that response by starting the rush that led to Alexandre Texier’s opening goal and later scoring in the second period to tie the game at two. Montreal’s line of Zach Bolduc, Alexandre Texier, and Dach created problems at 5-on-5 and gave the Canadiens a dangerous edge throughout stretches of play.
What Comes Next In The Series
The Canadiens now carry a 2-1 series lead into the next game, with the momentum of Friday’s overtime win behind them. The series has already produced three straight overtime games, and Montreal has shown it can ride both its crowd and its top moments on the ice. For everyone still asking who won the hockey game last night, the answer arrived with force: Montreal, and it did so in a way the city is unlikely to forget soon.
