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NHL fans were divided following the Montreal Canadiens scoring a debatable goal that the Tampa Bay Lightning did not anticipate during Sunday's clash at Amalie Arena.
In the second period, Bolts defenseman Darren Raddysh launched a shot, which Habs goalie Sam Montembeault saved easily. Following the save, however, the entire Tampa Bay Lightning team apparently thought the whistle was blown to call the play dead.
The play was not called dead, but the Bolts players, who thought otherwise, stopped playing. The Montreal Canadiens capitalized on the opportunity, with Jonathan Kovacevic scoring a goal on an empty net to give the Habs a 2-0 lead.
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NHL fans were quick to react to the goal, with many applauding it while others believed that the whistle should have been blown.
Here's what fans on X, formerly Twitter, said: A fan tweeted:
"I mean should’ve been a whistle that’s egregious."
Another chimed in:
"Tampa players didn’t go near the goalie, so they didn’t blow the whistle. Good goal imo."
Here are some more reactions on X:
Tampa Bay Lightning beat Montreal Canadiens after going two goals behind
On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Amalie Arena. The Bolts beat the visitors 4-3.
The first period had no goals. The Canadiens got off to a dominant start, with Cole Caufield and Johnathan Kovacevic putting the team up 2-0 in the second.
After a slow start, the Bolts got themselves back into the game. At 14:01, Brayden Point's goal cut the Habs' lead to 2-1. With less than three minutes remaining before the end of the second, Auston Watson leveled the scores.
At the 7:49 mark of the third period, Calvin de Haan scored a wrist shot goal off Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos' assists to put the Lightning in the lead for the first time in the game, 3-2.
Seven minutes later, Stamkos doubled the advantage before Nick Suzuki made it 4-3 for the final score for the Montreal Canadiens. This marked the third consecutive defeat for the Habs.
With 35 points, the Canadiens are sixth in the Atlantic Division. They return to the ice on Tuesday, Jan. 2, to take on the Dallas Stars.
