Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (46-22-10) will face the Tampa Bay Lightning (48-24-6) on Thursday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
It’s a battle of two teams aiming to finish first in the Atlantic Division, though it should be noted the Buffalo Sabres are currently the top team, with 104 points. Both the Habs and the Lightning have 102 points, but with fewer regulation wins than the Sabres, which is the first standings tiebreaker.
Regardless of the details, it’s fair to say Thursday’s match-up will be very important beyond the divisional standings.
If the 2026 NHL Playoffs got underway today, the Canadiens would face the Lightning in the first round, seeing as they’re currently the second and third-placed teams in the Atlantic Division.
In other words, even though both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, and the final games in the regular season can lead to a downtick in effort and passion, we’re expecting the Lightning and the Canadiens to come out swinging on Thursday night.
To add to the intensity mix, this is the second time the teams will face each other in a little over a week. The Habs emerged with a 4-1 win versus the Lighting on March 31.
Lineup Changes
Joe Veleno is expected to return to the lineup, taking Zachary Bolduc’s spot on the third line.
The starting goalie has not been announced, but all signs point to Jakub Dobes serving as Montreal’s netminder versus the Lightning. Dobes has won six straight games, with his last loss occurring on March 19, against the Detroit Red Wings.
It should be noted that Dobes now has a save percentage above .900, which is rather difficult to do when suiting up for the Habs. Despite their improved results this season, the Canadiens still allow their opponents to take a bevy of high-danger chances every game, a situation they’ll need to address before the playoffs get going in roughly two weeks.
As for Kaiden Guhle, he did skate at practice, but the Canadiens are holding their cards close to their chest down the final stretch of the regular season, which means we’ll have to wait for the pregame warm-up to confirm whether Guhle will be in uniform. If he’s unavailable, smooth-skating defenceman Adam Engstrom is expected to once again feature on the third pairing, alongside Arber Xhekaj.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook* – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Joe Veleno – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Oliver Kapanen
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson
Adam Engstrom* – Arber Xhekaj
Jakub Dobes
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
Gage Goncalves – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel – Nick Paul – Oliver Bjorkstrand
Zemgus Girgensons – Yanni Gourde – Conor Geekie
Jakob Pelletier – Scott Sabourin – Corey Perry
J.J. Moser – Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg – Charle-Edouard D’Astous
Andrei Vasilevskiy
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Lightning
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Thursday, April 9, 2026, will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as
