NHL playoff hockey: Plekanec scores for Canadiens in Game 1 against Tampa Bay

In the NHL playoffs on Wednesday, the visiting Montreal Canadiens edged the Tampa Bay Lighting 5:4 in overtime. Tomáš Plekanec scored for the Habs in the first period to tie the game at one apiece.

In other hockey news, the new coach of the national Czech squad Vladimír Růžička has said he will hold a spot open on the roster for star player Jaromír Jágr at the upcoming Ice Hockey World Championships. He made clear he was not pressuring the 42-year-old to take a final decision yet on whether he will play at the tournament next month in Belarus. Jágr’s New Jersey Devils failed to make the NHL playoffs this season, leaving the 42-year-old Czech able to play if he feels fit. Jágr and the national team coach were both part of the squad that won gold at the Nagano Olympics in 1998.