Lightning's Moser Stings Montreal in Overtime

0:00On April 22nd, Tababay Lightning snagged a 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadians in game 2, tying their first round series at 1-1. J.J. Moser banged home his first career playoff goal to seal it, flipping the script after Montreal's overtime victory in game 1 on Sunday. Rewind to June 15th, 2017, when these teams swapped young talent. Lightning sent forward Jonathan Drew in a conditional sixth round pick to Montreal for defenseman Mikhail Surgachev and a second-rounder. Tampa needed defensive help after slipping in goals against, while Montreal chased more scoring punch. Surgachev lit it up in Tampa, averaging 36 points a season and peaking at 64 in 2022-23. He earned colder votes as a rookie and hoisted two Stanley Cups, including the 2021 final where Lightning crushed Montreal. Drew in battled injuries in Montreal, never hitting those heights, though he flashed 7 points in 10 playoff games once.

1:01Fast forward, Lightning traded Surgachev last summer to Utah, and flipped part of that package for Moser, now Moser's the one stinging Montreal in overtime, closing the loop on that old deal. Series heads back to Tampa all even, proving how one trade can echo for years, handing the Lightning payback twice over the same foe. That's the story for today, NHL News Today, driven by AI. I'm Corey with the story.