3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens from 5-2 win over Tampa Bay Lightning feat. Jake Evans

The Montreal Canadiens extended their strong showing by picking their fifth victory in the last six outings after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 5-2 final score on Sunday at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Jake Evans scored in his fifth straight game, while goaltender Sam Montembeault turned in a strong performance for his 13th victory of the 2024-25 season.

Alex Newhook started the scoring for the Canadiens, beating goaltender Jonas Johansson with a quick snap-shot to give the Habs the lead.

37 seconds into the second period, Brandon Hagel knotted the score with his 17th goal of the season. Montreal then got goals from Christian Dvorak and Evans to take a 3-1 lead, while Russian sniper Nikita Kucherov brought the Bolts back to within a goal with his 17th tally.

Montreal re-took their two-goal lead just past the midway point of the third period thanks to Joel Armia's seventh goal; Brenan Gallagher notched his 10th goal into the open net with Johansson on the bench for an extra attacker.

Johansson finished with 32 saves in a losing effort, while Montembeault made 21 saves.

A key factor in Montreal's win was their perfect penalty-killing that denied all three chances with the man advantage that the Lightning had.

Which three Canadiens players had performances in the victory that stood out the most from afar?

3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens from 5-2 win over Tampa Bay Lightning

#1. Jake Evans

Evans is making a name for himself, having already easily bested his previous career-best of seven goals by reaching 10 so far in 2024-25.

With his goal against the Lightning, he now also has a career-best five-game goal-scoring streak; his second-period tally increased Montreal's lead to 3-1.

#2. Joel Armia

Armia played a major role in Montreal's win over Tampa Bay, as he registered a goal and an assist while also firing four shots on Johansson.

He now has two goals in his last three games.

#3. Sam Montembeault

Having battled inconsistent performances throughout his entire NHL career, Montembeault turned in one of his better games so far in 2024-25 against the Lightning.

He made a combined eight saves on both Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel, while also turning aside the only other shot from Kucherov during the contest.

The Canadiens now head to Sin City for a New Year's Eve matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.