Marc Dumont
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Saturday.
Montreal Canadiens News
We now know when (most of) the games from the first-round series between the Habs and the Tampa Bay Lightning will take place. It should also be noted that Victor Hedman is not expected return to the Bolt’s lineup any time soon, and that Lane Hutson practised alongside Kaiden Guhle for the Canadiens. [Canadiens Playoff Preview: Updated Lines, Tampa Bay Injury]
Rookie Ivan Demidov took line rushes with Alex Newhook and Alex Texier on the second line, and he’s feeling confident about the upcoming assignment against the Lightning, which will surely include providing some semblance of sustainable offence.
Ivan Demidov on playing alongside Alex Newhook & Alexandre Texier at Habs practice today:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 18, 2026
“Pretty good line. All guys pretty skilled and fast and those two fucking strong guys. I like to play with them.” pic.twitter.com/dO3ClWmj9e
Former Hab P.K. Subban believes the Canadiens and the Oilers will meet in the Stanley Cup final, with the Canadiens emerging victorious. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming in technicolor, but with all due respect to Subban, there’s a lot of very difficult hockey left to play. It seems that every year a disproportionate amount of analysts suggests two Canadian teams will be among the last clubs standing.
.@PKSubban1 has the Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup for the 25th time 👀🏆
— ESPN (@espn) April 18, 2026
Stanley Cup playoff action begins TODAY at 3 PM ET on ESPN and the ESPN App! 🍿 pic.twitter.com/9MyPNhs8Lm
Jakub Dobes hasn’t been one of the best goaltenders this season, but the mere fact that he’s not too far outside the top-5 is rather encouraging. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, Andrei Vasilevskiy is ranked fourth in the NHL.
The top goalies of the 2025-2026 regular season https://t.co/RtBkDPbkvW pic.twitter.com/xy4xMcNxRD
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) April 17, 2026
Unsurprisingly, seeing as they were the youngest team during the regular season, the Habs will also ice the youngest lineup in the playoffs. It’s a fairly wide margin, too.
The Habs will be the youngest team in the NHL playoffs again this year. pic.twitter.com/gU6uyCiSKX
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 18, 2026
Head coach Martin St-Louis left no grey area when discussing his allegiance to the Canadiens, and his time with the Lightning.
Habs coach Marty St. Louis on facing his old team the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 17, 2026
“I don’t have any emotions attached to the Lightning right now. Zero.” pic.twitter.com/yPIBokAo4S
Many journalists expected the Lightning to make quick work of the Habs, and statistically speaking, there’s a lot of logic behind their opinion. The good news is that the games are played on the ice, not on paper.
Sportsnet predictions for the Habs vs Lightning playoff series pic.twitter.com/xIvzEJkzas
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 18, 2026
ICYMI: With Game One of the first-round series between the Habs and the Tampa Bay Lightning scheduled for Sunday, we continue with our in-depth series previews, including a comparison of their respective special teams. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Special Teams]
ICYMI: We evaluated some of the X-Factors heading into the series, including the importance of finding open space for Nick Suzuki and the rest of the first line. The Canadiens score a lot of goals, but if Tampa Bay’s shutdown line finds its rhythm, things will quickly turn sour for Montreal. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Top X Factors]
ICYMI: There’s no doubt about it, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been the better team at 5v5 this season. However, when evaluating Montreal’s numbers versus the Lightning in their four games against each other, the discrepancy is less noticeable, with the Canadiens managing to control more shots than the Bolts. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Head-To-Head]
Sportsnaut Network
The New Jersey Devils won the general manager free agent frenzy. Sunny Mehta was named the Devils GM on Thursday evening. Mehta, an analytical guru, will bring a new approach to the position left by former GM Tom Fitzgerald. Said approach starts right away. The Devils have a laundry list of things to address leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft and the Free Agent Frenzy. So, where does he begin? [New Jersey Devils]
The San Jose Sharks have one of the best players in the NHL right now in 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini. Coming off a record-breaking season where he nearly carried the team into the playoffs, it appears the phenom will get rewarded with a new deal this summer. [San Jose Sharks]
How can the Sens upset the best team in the Eastern Conference? Let’s dive into the details with five keys to victory for the Ottawa Senators versus the Carolina Hurricanes. [Carolina Hurricanes]
