Tampa Bay fans mocked Canada, then Montreal stole Game 1 in overtime
Photo credit: © Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Brandon Hagel lit up Amalie Arena, but the loudest "USA" chant aged badly once the Montreal Canadiens walked out with Game 1 in overtime.
It exposed Tampa Bay's emotional read of the night. The Lightning treated a tying goal like a finish line, not a reset.
That is the real backfire. Playoff swagger works only when your details still hold after the burst.
Hagel finished the regular season with 36 goals and 74 points in 70 games. He is built to drag momentum into the dirty areas.
But Montreal entered this series with the better recent script against Tampa Bay. The Canadiens went 2-1-1 in the season series and won the last two meetings.
You can see the exact moment the building thinks the tide has turned.
Brandon Hagel could not tilt Canadiens vs Tampa Bay
The mood shift felt premature, and fans watching it knew it.
Montreal did not blink after Tampa's push. Juraj Slafkovsky finished Game 1 with the overtime winner, and the Canadiens now lead the series 1-0 with Game 2 set for April 21.
That is where the chant turns on Tampa. It gave Montreal a clean villain frame and let a younger group play looser, faster, and meaner on pucks.
There is another layer here. Hagel was part of Canada's side of the U.S.-Canada rivalry, but Team USA won Olympic gold in 2026, so the chant already carried extra heat.
For Jon Cooper, the issue is not crowd noise. It is that his club still gave up the last word at home after a 50-26-6 season and home ice.
Tampa found a moment. Montreal grabbed the series.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
‘That’s just stupidity’: Jon Cooper already furious after game one loss to Montreal
‘That’s just stupidity’: Jon Cooper already furious after game one loss to Montreal