With the NHL season winding down, there are still teams jostling for playoff positions, and the race is tighter than ever.
Tampa Bay is coming off a 4-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and can’t afford another loss. They are tied with the Islanders with 90 points, and trail the Leafs by only 3 points. Tampa Bay is playing desperate hockey right now, and players like Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman are leading the way for the Bolts.
Meanwhile, the Habs, after clinching the Atlantic Division, are simply looking to play spoiler now. Coming off a 2-1 loss to the Sabres, they’re looking to end the season on a winning note, with only two games left on the regular season schedule. Montreal is 2-1 against Tampa Bay this season, and are looking to take the season series tonight.
A few lineup notes for Montreal: Michael McCarron was playing on the fourth line, and Andreas Martinsen re-joins the line up as well. Carey Price will play tonight, and therefore will rest in the Habs final game against Detroit. On the defensive side of things, Shea Weber and Alexei Emelin were not present at the morning skate, which means we will see the season debut of Brett Lernout, whereas Nikita Nesterov will have first pairing duties alongside Andrei Markov.
How to watch
Puck drop: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet East (English), RDS (French)
In the United States: NBCSN
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL Gamecentre Live, NHL Center Ice
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Byron | Phillip Danault | Brendan Gallagher |
| Dwight King | Andrew Shaw | Artturi Lehkonen |
| Alex Galchenyuk | Steve Ott | Andreas Martinsen |
| Brian Flynn | Torrey Mitchell | Michael McCarron |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Brandon Davidson | Jeff Petry |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Brett Lernout |
| Mikhail Sergachev | Nikita Nesterov |
Goalies
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Charlie Lindgren |
| Al Montoya |
Injured: Shea Weber (upper body), Alexei Emelin (lower body)
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Gustav Nyquist | Henrik Zetterberg | Tomas Tatar |
| Matt Lorito | Dylan Larkin | Justin Abdelkader |
| Riley Sheahan | Frans Nielsen | Darren Helm |
| Ben Street | Tomas Nosek | Drew Miller |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Danny DeKeyser | Nick Jensen |
| Niklas Kronwall | Mike Green |
| Xavier Ouellet | Robbie Russo |
Goalies
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Petr Mrazek |
| Jimmy Howard |
Injured: Steven Stamkos (knee), Ryan Callaghan (knee), Tyler Johnson (lower body), Cedric Paquette (lower body), Jason Garrison (lower body).
