Nikita Kucherov makes a big gesture on the bench after the Canadiens goal, and it got heated for the Lightning
Nikita Kucherov just lost it on the Tampa Bay Lightning bench, and the missed open net seconds before Alexandre Texier's goal is the reason why.
Renaud Lavoie pointed out the moment on TVA Sports. The 32-year-old Russian had a wide-open cage in the third period of Game 5 in Tampa. He missed it. Montreal countered. Texier buried.
That's a 3-2 Canadiens lead instead of a 3-2 Tampa lead. The kind of swing that flips a tied playoff series in 30 seconds of hockey. Kucherov's frustration on the bench was directed inward, not at the room.
The Russian winger finished the regular season with 130 points and a +43 rating at a $9.5 million cap hit. He's been the best player on the ice in this series with 6 points across the first 4 games, including 5 assists.
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Tonight was different. The empty net look came and went. The puck didn't go in. Then Texier did what $1 million depth wingers do in big games. He scored.
The 26-year-old French forward put up 21 points in 51 regular season games for Montreal. He has 3 points across the first 4 playoff games. That's third-line production from a fourth-line cap hit.
Jon Cooper kept his bench short on that shift change. The cameras caught Kucherov spiking water bottles, snapping at the boards, doing everything a star does when he beats himself with a wide-open net.
Why a missed empty net could swing the entire series
The Tampa Bay Lightning came in tied 2-2 with the Montreal Canadiens. The series has gone overtime, road, road, home and now this. Every game has been decided by one goal except Game 5 entering the third.
Brayden Point sits at -2 in the series with 1 power play goal and zero even-strength production. Anthony Cirelli has 2 points and a +6. Victor Hedman is hurt and managed only 33 games this regular season.
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That's the supporting cast around Kucherov. He doesn't get a missed empty net forgiven by a teammate going on a heater. He has to fix it himself or it becomes the moment that defined the series.
Andrei Vasilevskiy carries a $9.5 million cap hit and a .910 regular season save percentage. The Russian goalie has been the difference more than once already. Letting in the goal Texier just buried isn't on him.
Cole Caufield leads the Habs with 4 points and a goal. Nick Suzuki has 4 assists. Ivan Demidov has been quiet with just 1 point. Martin St-Louis is winning this game with secondary scoring.
The Texier goal is the kind that sends a coach to the chalkboard between periods. Tampa needs a response from the captain's line in the next 20 minutes or the series flips back in Montreal's favor heading to the Bell Centre on Friday.
Kucherov is the engine. He knows it. The bench knows it. The cameras caught it. Tampa Bay needs the Russian to do what he's done his entire career and put the missed shift behind him before the buzzer sounds.
Game 5 isn't over. The reaction tells you what's at stake.
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 29, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lawson Crouse | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kirby Dach | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| John Marino | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam York | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Gage Goncalves | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||