Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (1-0) will face the Tampa Bay Lightning (0-1) in Game Two on Tuesday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
The Habs emerged victorious from the first game of the series between these two talented teams, with young star Juraj Slafkovsky serving as the hero. Not only did he score three goals, all three of which took place during the powerplay, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime, shortly after head coach Martin St-Louis called a time-out to maximize the potential impact of the powerplay.
Beyond Slafkovsky, it should also be noted that the Canadiens held a significant edge in high-danger scoring chances at 5v5, to the tune of 8-1.
Special teams will always play a big part in a short playoff series, and ideally the Habs would improve their shot share, but if they maintain an 88% control of the high-quality scoring chances throughout the rest of the games, they’ll be in great shape.
Lineup Changes
Given that they’re fresh off a win, the Habs aren’t expected to make any lineup changes, but the same cannot be said about the Lightning.
Defenceman Charle-Edouard D’Astous, who goes out of his way to play a particularly physical brand of hockey any time he faces the Habs, is unavailable due to a clean hit that knocked him out of Game One. Consequently, Declan Carlile will be re-inserted into the lineup.
Carlile was the player who chased down Josh Anderson in a previous match up, before Anderson proceeded to deliver a five-piece combination to his overly eager opponent.
"I immediately regret this decision!" – Carlile after chasing down Anderson for a fight. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/bCbRjR1nRA
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 10, 2026
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will also add another truculent player to the mix, depth forward Scott Sabourin. He’s not much when it comes to playing hockey, but he is definitely among the few players in the league who will offer heavyweight match-ups.
Unfortunately for Sabourin, the last time he faced the Habs he was unceremoniously knocked out by defenceman Arber Xhekaj, with the Habs defenceman quickly calling for assistant from the Lightning medical staff to evaluate the fallen gladiator.
Arber Xhekaj DROPS Scott Sabourin, then immediately calls for the trainer 😳👏 pic.twitter.com/RrQX6aMtga
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 28, 2025
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 – Oliver Bjorkstrand – Scott Sabourin
J.J. Moser – Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Declan Carlile – Emil Lilleberg
Andrei Vasilevskiy
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Bolts
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tuesday, April 21, 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
