With the series tied at two apiece, the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning were back in Florida for a crucial game five matchup. The Habs went on the road with a bit of a different look to their lineup, and grinded out a 3-2 win in which they surrendered two separate one-goal leads. Now, they get the opportunity to go back to the Bell Centre on Friday with a chance to eliminate the Lightning and move on to the second round of the playoffs.
Jon Cooper is widely regarded as one of, if not the best coach in the NHL. Martin St-Louis had a few tricks up his sleeve though, and he pulled them out to get a clutch win. Chief among them was the insertion of Brendan Gallagher into the lineup.
Brendan Gallagher scores a very Brendan Gallagher goal in his first shift of this series. #Habs up 1-0. pic.twitter.com/flxSCx76p3
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 29, 2026
He had an immediate impact, opening the scoring on his very first shift of the series. And he didn’t stop there, as he seemed to be a thorn in the side of the lightning every time he stepped on the ice. It was classic Brendan Gallagher hockey, fighting for every inch of space, going to the net with purpose, and caring little for his own safety in the process. It was a reminder of the kind of intensity that he can bring to a playoff series, and it will be hard to consider removing him from the lineup after that performance.
Then you have the Kirby Dach line, which was the only trio St-Louis didn’t change since putting them together for game three, that once again found a way to produce when it mattered most.
Kirby Dach says forget waiting for a call, I'll do it myself.
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 30, 2026
2-1 #Habs pic.twitter.com/HkNstvuCa8
This came exactly 11 seconds after Tampa had tied the game, silencing the crowd before the home team’s goal could even finish being announced. It was more of an individual effort from Dach than a collective contribution from his line, but they were once again a problem for the Lightning in many ways. Some credit is due to St-Louis for tinkering with his lineup without going so far as to undo a decision he made earlier that has paid off in spades. That line was an interesting choice in game three, it quickly became an ace, and even when he was looking to make some changes, he stuck with that line and was rewarded for it.
You could make the argument that St-Louis is out-coaching Cooper right now. The Habs haven’t gotten much five-on-five production from their star forwards, but their depth has been leveraged to the absolute maximum in this series. Now, they just need one win, and if St-Louis can continue leveraging his depth on home ice, they can make a huge splash in the Eastern Conference by eliminating a team that many considered to be Stanley Cup contenders.
And if that wouldn’t make them one, I don’t know what would.
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