Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (SO)
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Montreal Canadiens lost the lead in the final seven minutes, forced overtime with a late goal, then got the win in a shootout, ending a six-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at Amalie Arena.
Montreal trailed 1-0 midway through the shootout but got goals from center Brian Flynn and the game-winner from left winger Max Pacioretty after goalie Mike Condon stopped the Lightning's third shot from right winger Nikita Kucherov.
The Canadiens, after six consecutive regulation losses, earned a point in the standings for only the second time since Dec. 1, scoring in the final six minutes to tie the game and force overtime.
Montreal goalie Mike Condon had 36 saves through regulation and the five-minute overtime.
Down 2-1 with seven minutes to play, the Lightning got a goal from defenseman Jason Garrison -- his second in as many games. Twenty-one seconds later, right winger Ryan Callahan scored his first goal since Nov. 1 to give the Lightning (18-15-4) the lead.
Montreal (21-14-3) had been on top since midway through the second period.
Garrison's goal, his fourth of the season, was unassisted -- he missed a shot from the left side of the net, got his own rebound and skated around the back of the net, turning and firing the puck through the legs of Condon to tie the game with 6:42 left.
Before that goal was announced, Callahan took a loose puck from the far right of the goal and beat Condon for his first goal in 23 games, his fifth of the season, for a 3-2 lead.
Less than a minute later, the Canadiens were awarded a goal after the fact on video review. During a penalty stoppage with 4:28 left, a review determined that right winger Dale Weise scored with 5:46 remaining. The puck briefly crossed the line before it was stopped by Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, though it was not initially scored as a goal.
Weise's 11th goal was challenged by the Lightning, citing goalie interference before the score, but the score was upheld upon review.
The Canadiens took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period when streaking center Alex Galchenyuk took a feed in front of the net and beat Bishop (31 saves) for his ninth goal of the season. Montreal was outshot 16-8 in the second period but kept the lead behind the strong play of goalie Mike Condon.
The Lightning had tied the game early in the second on a power-play goal by Kucherov, whose pass from the wing was misplayed by Condon, caroming off his stick and through his legs into the goal. Kucherov's 13th goal of the season came with 14:20 left in the second, 25 seconds into a power play after defenseman Andrei Markov was called for holding.
Montreal dominated the game early, with nine shots in the first seven minutes before the Lightning had their first shot, but the scoring didn't come until 4:02 was left in the first, when center Tomas Plekanec scored his eighth goal, firing a shot to the top right corner past Bishop.
The Canadiens came in having lost six consecutive games and 10 of 11 since Dec. 3.
NOTES: The Lightning got two key forwards back from injury Monday, with C Brian Boyle returning after missing two games with an upper-body injury and C Tyler Johnson returning after missing seven with an upper-body injury. Tampa Bay still had LW Ondrej Palat (lower body) and LW Jonathan Drouin (lower body) out with injury, and D Matthew Carle was a healthy scratch. ... Montreal was again without RW Devante Smith-Pelly (lower) with D Jarred Tinordi and D Alexei Emelin as healthy scratches. ... The Lightning's "Community Heroes" program, which gives $50,000 to an area charity at each home game, topped $10 million in total donations with Monday's game. ... The Lightning continue a six-game home stand with the New York Rangers in town on Wednesday, while the Canadiens go back to back with a game at the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.