TAMPA, Fla. Harmon Killebrew Jersey . -- Having completed their regular-season series, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens soon could find themselves battling in the post-season. Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal on a short-handed breakaway late in the third period and the Lightning clinched a playoff berth with a 3-1 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday night. "Just being in the right spot and getting lucky sometimes," Johnson said. The win and losses by New Jersey and Washington gave Tampa Bay its first post-season berth since 2011 and only its second in seven years. Montreal ended a five-game winning streak, but also qualified for the post-season by virtue of the losses by New Jersey and Washington. Canadiens goalie Carey Price took some consolation in advancing to the post-season. "Were disappointed with our game today, but big picture, weve got to be happy with that," he said. The win moved Tampa Bay, with a game in hand, into a second-place tie with Montreal in the Atlantic Division. The second- and third-place teams in each division will meet in the first round of the playoffs. "Its just one game, but its really the 76 games all bottled into one," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "What you are really striving for is to win the Stanley Cup, but you cannot win the Cup if you dont get into the playoffs." With teammate Nate Thompson serving a minor penalty for boarding, Johnson picked up a loose puck near the Montreal blue line, skated in on Price and backhanded a shot inside the left post with 7:19 remaining in the game. Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher was on one knee in the low slot when he redirected a rebound past goalie Ben Bishop to open the scoring 10:18 into the first period. Ryan Callahan made it 1-1 on a power play 9:19 into the second, skating through the left circle toward Price and lifting a shot high into the net. Tampa Bay was on a power play when Alex Killorn closed out the scoring with an empty-netter with 45 seconds left in the third period. Bishop finished with 25 saves, while Price stopped 30 shots. Tampa Bay winger Teddy Purcell slammed a shot past Price with 11.7 seconds left in the second period, but the officials ruled forward J.T. Brown made contact with the goaltender and disallowed the goal. The call drew an angry response from Tampa Bay fans after a replay appeared on the video screen. The crowd also became irate when Montreals Douglas Murray drew a match penalty for an illegal check to the head of fellow defenceman Michael Kostka, setting up a 5-on-3 advantage for the Lightning with 2:13 left in the game. "If the crowds reaction was anything after they saw it, then it seems that it was illegal," Cooper said. "Those are the hits you want to take out of the game. Im sure Murray wasnt looking to hit him in the head." Lightning forward Ondrej Palat, who earlier in the day was named the top NHL rookie for the second time in three months, assisted on the goals by Callahan and Killorn. NOTES: Tampa Bay C Valtteri Filppula, who came in with the longest points streak in the league at 12 games, came up empty. . Montreal C Tomas Plekanec returned after missing one game for personal reasons. . The home team won for the first time in the four-game season series. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was sidelined with a broken leg for the first three games, each of which went to overtime tied at 1. . Price came in victorious in nine of his 10 previous starts. Bishop improved to 8-1-1 in his last 10. Nick Gordon Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Minnesota Twins Shirts .5 million, four-year contract with the Texas Rangers that could be worth $32. https://www.cheaptwins.com/ . Tyrell appeared in seven games with the Lightning this year, he had no points in those appearances. The 24-year-old has seven goals and 17 assists in 132 career NHL games, all coming with the Lightning. He was selected in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2007 draft.SOCHI, Russia – No player entered the Olympics on more of a roll than Phil Kessel. And that scorching performance kept right on going on the grand stage here in Sochi. Kessel scored once and added two assists as the Americans opened their bid at gold redemption with a 7-1 rout of Slovakia at Shayba Arena. "Hes on fire," said Leaf and American teammate James van Riemsdyk, who had two assists paired with Kessel and Joe Pavelski at the outset of the Olympic tournament. "The game I think is coming to him really easy right now. Hes working hard, creating a lot and he seems to be on fire." Kessel has been downright dominant since the calendar turned to 2014. The 26-year-old has a league-leading 28 points since Jan. 1 (John Tavares is second with 22), vaulting to fourth in NHL scoring with 65 points, also second behind Alex Ovechkin with 31 goals. Sizzling through the hottest stretch of his NHL career, he led the Leafs to 11 wins in 14 games before the Olympic break. "Hes a game-breaker, does a lot of things out there that a lot of guys cant do,&quoot; van Riemsdyk said of Kessel shortly after landing in Russia. Kirby Puckett Twins Jersey. Kessel has, in one game mind you, exceeded the production he managed in totality at his first Olympics in Vancouver. Then just 22, he managed a mere two points (one goal, one assist) in six games as the US fell just short of gold, losing in overtime of the gold medal game. "Obviously that was a long time ago the last one," said Kessel of 2010. "Im a little older now." Dropping a pass to John Carlson for the games first goal, Kessel notched his first marker of the tournament on a doorstep feed from van Riemsdyk. He added a helper on the fourth American goal from David Backes. Van Riemsdyk, his linemate and roommate here in Sochi, fully expected to be nervous when his first-ever Olympic tilt kicked off, but said the nerves cooled being around the increasingly steady Kessel. "I dont know if he knows hes doing it, but he keeps it very light," said van Riemsdyk. "The bigger the stage, I think thats when his true colours come out. It shows how good of a player he can be." ' ' '