Habs look to finish off series against Lightning in Game 6 at home
Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
The Montreal Canadiens look to channel a raucous crowd at the Bell Centre tonight as they seek to finish off the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of their NHL first-round playoff series.
The Canadiens took a 3-2 lead in the hard-fought series with a 3-2 win Wednesday in Tampa, Fla.
That put the Habs on the verge of advancing past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021, when they advanced to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Lightning in five games.
Montreal ended a three-year playoff drought last season when it made a surprising post-season return with a late push before losing in five games to Washington.
The Lightning feel they are still very much in this series.
All five games have been decided by one goal, including overtime in the first three, and the teams split Games 3 and 4 in Montreal.
With the Montreal Canadiens a win away from eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning, Habs fans are taking their places inside and outside Montreal’s Bell Centre ahead of a pivotal Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Hedman still out, but close to returning
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper says captain Victor Hedman is nearing a return but won’t play Friday night with the Lightning facing elimination.
“He’s going to be the option really soon,” Cooper said. “It’s hard for me to sit here and say whether he’s going to play in this series or not. This has a maximum of two games left. The series, regardless, is over in 60 hours or whatever it is.
“Our anticipation is that our season isn’t going to end tonight, so take it for what it is, but he’s not playing tonight.”
Cooper said earlier in the matchup that Hedman was unlikely to play in the series.
Hedman skated as a regular during Tampa Bay’s morning practice, but hasn’t played since March 19.
The 35-year-old Swede — a Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in 2020 — took a temporary leave for personal reasons on March 25, rejoining the team early in the first-round series.
He was limited to 33 games in the regular season, posting one goal and 16 assists after also missing time due to elbow surgery and an undisclosed injury.
“It may seem like, ‘Oh, Jon Cooper’s got a gut feeling.’ Yeah, a lot of decisions you make sometimes you go with your gut, but not in situations where guys have been hurt, injured, there’s a whole process to that,” Cooper said. “I would never put a player into a situation where the player wasn’t 100 per cent comfortable.”
Cooper did not reveal whether forward Nick Paul or defenceman Charles-Edouard D’Astous would draw back into the lineup.
Paul missed Game 5’s 3-2 loss in Tampa, Fla., with an illness and D’Astous hasn’t played since he was injured on a high hit from Canadiens forward Josh Anderson in Game 1.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, were expected to run with the same lineup after holding a well-attended optional skate Friday morning.
As the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning face off in Game 6, Habs fans are piling into the designated fan zone outside the Bell Centre, and giving their take on why being a Canadiens fan is unique.
