Montreal, Canada - The Montreal Canadiens are still alive in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals after avoiding the sweep against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Habs still have a chance after winning Game 4 by 3-2 in overtime, extending the series to at least a fifth game to be played on Wednesday night.

It seemed like anyone’s game as both teams traded goals back and forth, but the Canadiens wouldn’t be denied a chance to stay alive. Josh Anderson (27) saved the day for the Canadiens with two goals, including the winner in overtime.

This was the first game in which Montreal actually established a lead over Tampa, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Anderson got things going for the Habs in the final minutes of the first period and after Montreal killed off a power-play and went into the first intermission up by one, it looked as if they had all the momentum they needed.

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But the Lightning tied the game when Barclay Goodrow scored before the second period was through. Canadiens rookie Alexander Romanov scored midway through the third for Montreal’s second lead, but it was wiped out five minutes later when Pat Maroon tied things up again at 2-2 for Tampa. Tampa then went on a four-minute power-play with a minute to go in regulation and it seemed as if the Canadiens were out of chances, even though the game went into overtime.

But the hosts survived the rest of Tampa’s third-period power-play, the last of the Lightning's five advantages they couldn’t cash in during the game. Just a minute more of full-strength hockey opened the door for Anderson to be the hero.

"Just had that feeling that we were going to win tonight and give ourselves a chance," Anderson said in his postgame comments to ESPN.

There's a flicker of hope for Montreal, who have been here before. The Habs were in a 3-1 deficit to a heavy favorite, the Maple Leafs, during the first round of the playoffs. They went on the road in Game 5, prevailed, and took the next two to clinch the series.

Be that as it may, history is not on the Canadiens’ side, since there has only ever been one team in NHL history to come back from an 0-3 hole to win the cup: the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.

Game 5 is from Tampa on Wednesday night.