Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night, aiming to gain a stranglehold on their first-round series.
Legendary defenceman Serge Savard got the ball rolling at the Bell Centre, following in the footsteps of his longtime teammate Yvan Cournoyer on Friday evening.
HERE WE GO 🍿
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2026
📺: Watch Lightning vs. Canadiens Game 4 on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/TicpwHnAhj
It was yet another hard-fought game between two evenly-matched teams, which eventually saw the Lightning emerge with a 3-2 victory, tying the series at two games a piece in the process.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
All Eyes On Dobes
Unlike previous games, the Lightning quickly generated several high-danger scoring chances, forcing Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes to make a handful of difficult saves in the first period.
The rookie netminder was far from stoic, but that’s par for the course when discussing Dobes’ style of play, which is clearly chaotic good. What matters most is that he responded quite well to the uptick in scoring chances from the Lightning.
Solid work by Jakub Dobes early in G4. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/vL481zlDoN
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 26, 2026
Making Your Own Luck
Even though the Canadiens were outchanced in the first period, they did a fantastic job capitalizing on their first high-danger scoring chance of the game, which took place midway through the second frame.
It was Zachary Bolduc who opened the scoring, and while the goal could be described as relatively fortuitous given that it bounced off him before finding the back of the net, good things happen when you drive the slot.
Both Alexandre Texier and Kaiden Guhle provided excellent assists on the scoring play.
Zachary Bolduc gives the #GoHabsGo a 1-0 lead! Assists to Guhle and Texier. pic.twitter.com/kyBd9JMIFc
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 27, 2026
Monkey Ditched
Even though Cole Caufield scored 51 goals during the regular season, you can be certain he felt uneasy about his lack of goals through three playoff games, as evidenced by his celebration following a powerplay goal late in the second period.
Few players around the NHL enjoy playing hockey as much as Caufield, but that’s because he’s only happy when he’s scoring. Fortunately, few players around the NHL score as often as Caufield.
His first goal of the series was also the first time the Canadiens managed to establish a two-goal lead versus the Lightning.
The chemistry between Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki was on full display for this goal. #GoHabsGo up 2-0. pic.twitter.com/RA8eadUmdF
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 27, 2026
Insult To Injury
A big, clean bodycheck by Maxwell Crozier on Juraj Slafkovsky derailed what was otherwise an excellent period from the Canadiens. The heavy hit forced the 22-year-old Slovak to retreat to the locker room in the dying minutes of the second frame.
The Lightning proceeded to score their first goal of the game shortly thereafter, when veteran Jake Guentzel’s scored his of the series, but thankfully, Slafkovsky would ultimately return to the ice for the third period.
Crozier absolutely levels Juraj Slafkovsky. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/79f5sbYLDI
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 27, 2026
Lightning Strikes Twice
With Oliver Kapanen in the box for what seemed to be a rather dubious high-sticking penalty, the Lightning tied the game, though it must be said that the Habs made life very easy on their opponents.
Regardless of whether the call was legitimate, talented players such as Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel will always make you pay if you give them too much time in the offensive zone.
Pénalité couteuse : Hagel marque en avantage numérique! pic.twitter.com/EcfVNjDn2G
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 27, 2026
Luck Shifts
The Canadiens were poised to take advantage of a momentum shift following an impressive 5-on-3 penalty kill, but the bounce that gave the Habs the opening goal of the game came back to haunt them, when Hagel scored his second goal of the match-up.
This gave the Lightning a 3-2 lead with a little less than five minutes left in the third period.
Lady luck giveth, lady luck taketh away.
Brandon Hagel marque son 2e du match et c'est 3 à 2 en fin de 3e période… pic.twitter.com/hWGoJErIsT
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 27, 2026
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Wednesday, facing the Lightning in Tampa Bay. The puck drop is yet to be scheduled.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
