David Kirouac-Imagn Images
On Tuesday, the Lightning evened up their series with the Canadiens by taking advantage of an icing call that led to a goal in overtime. Kirby Dach was responsible for giving Tampa Bay the faceoff that preceded the game-winner, and he decided to deactivate his Instagram account due to the backlash he was subjected to online.
Professional athletes had to deal with their fair share of harassment prior to the dawn of the internet, but social media has made it easier than ever for angry fans to voice their displeasure with their performance while taking advantage of the anonymity that comes with hiding behind a keyboard more often than not.
That was already an issue before the rise of legal sports betting added more fuel to the fire, and it’s pretty hard to envy the players who willingly subject themselves to the unhinged comments and DMs they tend to find themselves dealing with after a game where their performance left a bit to be desired.
That was the situation Canadiens forward Kirby Dach found himself facing after a costly error in a Stanley Cup Playoff game on Tuesday night, and he pulled the plug on his Instagram account as a result.
Montreal Canadiens Kirby Dach deleted his Instagram after some fans had an unhinged reaction to his performance in a playoff game
The Montreal Canadiens entered Tuesday night’s showdown with the Lightning with a 1-0 lead in their first-round series after stealing a game on the road with a 4-3 win in overtime, and the two teams once again treated fans to some free hockey after wrapping up regulation tied at two goals apiece.
It took close to 13 minutes, but J.J. Moser gave the Lightning the 3-2 win to tie up the series to cap off what was a very rough sequence for Kirby Dach.
THIS SERIES IS TIED ⚡️
J.J. Moser wins Game 2 for the Lightning with the Subway Canada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/3AV8HF4Pa6
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 22, 2026
The faceoff that led to the goal was the result of an icing that came after Dach failed to make it past center ice before dumping the puck in, and Moser was clearly able to take advantage of his lingering fatigue on the subsequent draw by outskating him near the blue line before potting the game-winning goal.
It was a rough night for Dach, who was statistically one of the least effective skaters for Montreal.
NHL Game Score Impact Card for Montréal Canadiens on 2026-04-21: pic.twitter.com/ajeFRcps4i
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 22, 2026
He’s faced some similar struggles during his fourth season with the Canadiens, and while plenty of fans were understandably frustrated with his play, it appears some of them took things a bit too far based on Dach’s decision to deactivate his Instagram account in the wake of the game.
There were some posts that asserted his girlfriend had done the same, and it would have been hard to blame her if she’d been the target of similar attacks. However, her account was live as of Wednesday morning, and while she limits comments on her posts, it appeared she was doing that before the game.
The Canadiens and Lightning will face off in Game 3 on Friday, although it seems like there’s a chance Dach could be benched for that contest based on how things have been trending.