Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game One of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday, with the puck drop scheduled for 5:45 pm ET.
The Habs should be considered the underdogs, though it’s important to remember that they were the better team at controlling the shots whenever these two met. To ensure some semblance of stability, the Canadiens will once again rely on the top line of Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield to drive the offence, while trying to avoid Tampa Bay’s top shutdown line.
Special teams are expected to play a crucial role in the first round, and not only because it’s a short series. The Canadiens are a top-10 team with the man-advantage, while the Lightning are dominant whenever they’re on the penalty kill. The organization that manages to break through could end up securing a significant advantage.
The earlier start time could also present a challenge for Montreal, a team that generally requires some sort of adversity before responding. That can fly during the regular season, but not in the playoffs, especially versus a veteran club such as the Lightning.
Lineup Changes
It appears that Brendan Gallagher, David Reinbacher, Samuel Montembeault, Jacob Fowler, Adam Engstrom, And Joe Veleno will miss Sunday’s game as healthy scratches, though Fowler is expected to serve as Jakub Dobes’ backup.
On the ice this morning : Brendan Gallagher, Joe Veleno, Adam Engstrom, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, Samuel Montembeault. @CanadiensMTL
— Renaud Lavoie (@RLavoieTVA) April 19, 2026
If there are any additional lineup notes available, we will modify the projected lineups prior to puck drop.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alexandre Texier – Alex Newhook – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc- Oliver Kapanen – Kirby Dach
Jake Evans – Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson
Mike Matheson – Alexander Carrier
Kaiden Guhle – Lane Hutson
Jayden Struble – Arber Xhekaj
Jakub Dobes
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel – Brayden Point – Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons – Yanni Gourde – Nick Paul
Corey Perry – Conor Geekie – Oliver Bjorkstrand
J.J. Moser – Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Charle Edouard D’Astous – Emil Lilleberg
Andrei Vasilevskiy
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Bolts
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sunday, April 19, 2026, will be aired on CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
Additional NHL Playoff Analysis
- Canadiens vs. Lightning – Playoff Primer – Head-to-Head at 5v5
- Canadiens Vs. Lightning – Special Teams
- Canadiens vs. Lightning – X Factors
