Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, aiming to push their winning streak to six games.
Beyond the points in the standings, the game was quite important, as there’s a decent chance both teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
It was yet another hard-fought battle, but in the end, the Canadiens emerged with a 4-1 win.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Happy Belated Birthday!
Juraj Slafkovsky, who turned 22 on Monday, opened the scoring on the powerplay with a fantastic shot that actually pushed Andrei Vasilevskiy’s stick out of the five-hole before finding the back of the net.
It was his 29th goal of the year, though it should be noted that the powerplay would have never occurred without a fantastic individual effort by Lane Hutson, which saw him easily cut through all the traffic before being hauled down in front of the Lightning net.
Juraj Slafkovsky makes it 1-0 for the #GoHabsGo with a blast on the powerplay. His shot actually pushed Vasilevskiy's stick out of the way! pic.twitter.com/K6PFyJ3uJG
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) March 31, 2026
Mr. Every Night
While it’s true Cole Caufield loves to score on Saturdays, calling him ‘;’Mr. Saturday Night’ is selling him a little short, as he loves to score on every day that ends with a ‘y’.
He scored his 47th goal of the year midway through the second period to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead, though it should be noted Slafkovsky produced an excellent zone entry, not to mention a great pass prior to the goal. Additionally, Mike Matheson registered his 300th career point on the scoring play.
He would go on to score an empty-net goal, the first of two by the Habs, securing Montreal’s win in the process.
Make that 47 goals for Cole Caufield!!
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 1, 2026
Great work by Juraj Slafkovsky on the rush, too. 2-1 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Zk0QiBpgfa
First Star Of The Week
Jakub Dobes stopped 35 of the 36 shots sent his way to secure his 26th win of the season, not to mention his fourth victory in a row.
He’s stepping up when the Habs need him most, and though new goaltending coach Marco Marciano deserves some of the credit, the 24-year-old netminder has definitely done a great job solidifying Montreal’s push for the playoffs, despite his lack of NHL experience.
Jakub Dobes, the first star of the week, comes up big early in the first period. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Fw8GOEvjdT
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) March 31, 2026
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday, facing the New York Rangers. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
