Canadiens @ Lightning: Game thread and lines

Game 74: Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning

Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Lightning region: The Spot
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+

For much of the 2025-26 season, the Montreal Canadiens have won games despite their goaltending, getting impressive performances on offence to outproduce what they were giving up. They may currently be on their longest winning streak of the season at five games, but now they’re winning because of their goaltending. It’s great news that Jakub Dobeš has hit such a form in the final portion of the season that he was named the NHL’s first star of the week, but him facing 104 shots in three games shouldn’t be the plan heading into the post-season.

The Habs won’t get away with spending so much time in their zone versus Nikita Kucherov’s club. The Lightning aren’t the Carolina Hurricanes who throw the puck on net from anywhere, but seek out dangerous shots through the middle of the ice. Kucherov has found a potent new source of offence this season in the shot of 30-year-old defenceman Darren Raddysh, who is blowing away last year’s point total, on pace to at least double his NHL career high in points.

That connection is at its most lethal on the power play, so the Canadiens need to stay disciplined in this game to limit its chances to get on the ice. That’s going to be tough for everyone as you can expect a physical game with the playoffs right around the corner. The Habs will need to keep their cool and respond to that aggression without just retaliating if they want to avoid getting blown out in a special-teams battle versus a team with a major edge in the penalty-killing department.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Injured: Alexandre Carrier, Kirby Dach, Alexandre Texier
Scratched: Adam Engström, Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeault

Carolina Hurricanes projected lineup