Historic playoff power‑play hat trick

Juraj Slafkovsky opened Montreal’s playoffs with three power-play goals, including the overtime winner in a 4-3 Game 1 win at Tampa Bay. (nhl.com) The Canadiens forward finished the hat trick 1:22 into overtime on April 19 after Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel took a high-sticking penalty with 21 seconds left in regulation. Montreal went 3-for-5 on the power play, and Tampa Bay went 2-for-5. (nhl.com) A power play is the stretch when one team skates with an extra man because the other team took a penalty. Slafkovsky became the first player in National Hockey League history to score all three goals of a playoff hat trick on the power play. (espn.com) He also became the youngest player in NHL history with a hat trick in his team’s postseason opener at 22 years, 20 days, passing Wayne Gretzky’s mark from 1983. Slafkovsky is in his fourth NHL season after Montreal drafted him No. 1 overall in 2022. (espn.com) The game flipped a late-season weakness for Montreal. The Montreal Gazette reported the Canadiens had gone 1-for-18 on the power play over their final eight regular-season games before scoring three times with the man advantage in Game 1. (montrealgazette.com) Slafkovsky’s three power-play goals also set a Canadiens playoff record for one game, according to Sportsnet. The 22-year-old scored 30 regular-season goals for the first time before the series opened in Tampa. (sportsnet.ca, nhl.com) Montreal and Tampa Bay are playing a best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series, with Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, at Benchmark International Arena. Slafkovsky’s Game 1 is now part of the opening week of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. (nhl.com, apnews.com))