Hagel has hat trick, Lightning top Canadiens to keep pace in Atlantic

TAMPA -- Brandon Hagel scored a hat trick for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Amalie Arena on Saturday.

Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev each had two assists, and Brian Elliott made 18 saves for the Lightning (42-22-6), who have won three straight and play the New Jersey Devils on Sunday for the third time in six days after winning 4-1 on Tuesday and 4-3 in the shootout on Thursday.
Tampa Bay remains three points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division. Toronto defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-4 in the shootout Saturday.
"I actually didn't mind our game tonight, but in the second period our puck management wasn't there and all of a sudden you're down 3-2," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "I loved our third. I didn't think we'd get 16 shots, but it was holding them to as little as possible. We had a big kill and the power play came up big when we needed it."

Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist, Nick Suzuki had two assists, and Sam Montembeault made 36 saves for the Canadiens (27-37-6), who are 1-7-2 in their past 10 games.
"I thought we were better defensively," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "If you work off the first period in Florida (seven goals against in a 9-5 loss to the Panthers on Thursday), I think we became very fragile and lost our way.
"I felt the second and third [periods] in Florida were better, but it didn't matter because the first was so bad. I felt that the group practiced hard yesterday. We were engaged, we worked on things, and tonight it showed."
Hagel put Tampa Bay ahead 4-3 at 5:58 of the third period when he redirected a shot from the point by Sergachev. He completed his second NHL hat trick and first with the Lightning when he scored into an empty net at 19:16 for the 5-3 final.
"Obviously everyone wants to get a hat trick," Hagel said. "I don't know. It's definitely a good feeling, especially at home, I guess."

Hagel was traded to the Lightning from the Chicago Blackhawks exactly one year earlier, on March 18, 2022.
"Last year, I was packing my stuff up," Hagel said. "I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I think I couldn't have come to a better place. I'm so happy playing with guys that know how to win. I've got a coach that knows how to win. Can't make this up."
Hoffman gave Montreal a 1-0 lead at 5:12 of the first period with a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle.
Victor Hedman tied it 1-1 at 11:31 with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Hagel's first goal put the Lightning ahead 2-1 at 4:50 of the second period. He scored on the rebound of a shot from Kucherov that missed the net.
"You can put him anywhere, he's like a Swiss army knife," Cooper said. "You can put him on different lines and he blossoms in different roles. This year he's showing all sides of how versatile he is, so it's good for him. You love to see guys like that get rewarded."
Denis Gurianov tied it 2-2 at 6:29 with a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Josh Anderson. It was his fourth goal in five games.
"Supporting each other was better, getting in lanes, our structure, it was a lot better tonight," Suzuki said. "A couple things need to get cleaned up, little details, but I thought we had a good game tonight."

Jesse Ylonen put the Canadiens ahead 3-2 with a power-play goal at 12:23 for his third goal in four games.
Steven Stamkos scored his 30th goal of the season to tie it 3-3 on the power play at 3:14 of the third period, a one-timer off a pass from Kucherov.
"We stepped on the gas [in the third period]," Hedman said. "These are tough games. There's not an easy game in this league and we knew that coming in. [The Canadiens] have lost games, but they've scored a lot of goals in those losses."
Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin dressed but did not get a shift after St. Louis said he would be disciplined for missing a team meeting Friday.
"I think tonight was a fair thing, and 'Jo' handled it tremendously well," St. Louis said. "Me and Jo have a great relationship. I got to know him a lot this year, and he's had a great season for us this year. I love the kid, and for him to handle it the way he did, I gained even more respect for him."
NOTES: St. Louis was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Lightning Hall of Fame this weekend. He was joined by forward Vincent Lecavalier and team founder Phil Esposito. … Stamkos reached 30 goals for the eighth time in the NHL. … Hagel played his 200th NHL game. His first hat trick came in his 100th game, an 8-5 win against the Devils on Feb. 25, 2022, when he was with the Blackhawks. … Stamkos (30 goals, 40 assists) reached 70 points for the eighth time, tying St. Louis for the most in Lightning history. … Kucherov became the fourth player in Lightning history with 200 multipoint games, joining Stamkos (281), St. Louis (257) and Lecavalier (212). … Sergachev has 11 assists in the past seven games. He is the third Lightning defenseman to reach 45 assists in a season (Hedman, three times; Roman Hamrlik, once). … Anderson has five points (two goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak.