Game 61: Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CBC (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Lightning region: Bally Sports Sun
Streaming: CBC Gem, ESPN+,
The Canadiens played a good game versus the Florida Panthers on Thursday, or, more accurately, a good 45 minutes as the first three-quarters of the second period were fully controlled by the host. They sorted themselves out before the middle frame came to a close, and managed a goal in each period to match the production of the NHL’s top team. The Habs were unlucky in their misses in the shootout, but the point earned was a nice bit of reinforcement for a solid overall performance.
Games versus the Tampa Bay Lightning have also been contested well this season, as the Habs stayed in matches versus another club that has given them trouble for several years. They have scored three goals in each of the two games played so far this season, but that just hasn’t been enough to top a club highlighted by skilled forwards.
Two nights ago, in the first game of a tough road trip, the Habs earned their first point versus the Panthers since Carey Price last NHL game, a 10-2 win to close out the 2021-22 season. Now there’s a chance to build upon their new confidence with a first win of the season over the Lightning.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| 23-28-9 | Record | 32-24-6 |
| 44.8% (30th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 51.9% (12th) |
| 2.77 (27th) | Goals per game | 3.35 (8th) |
| 3.50 (27th) | Goals against per game | 3.39 (25th) |
| 19.5% (19th) | PP% | 29.0% (1st) |
| 73.9% (30th) | PK% | 79.9% (14th) |
| 0-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 2-0-0 |
After consecutive starts for Samuel Montembeault that will ensure he plays two games — and likely the two toughest teams — on this road trip, it’s Cayden Primeau’s turn to take the net. None of his 34 games at the NHL level have been played versus the Lightning as the netminder was spared from that elite offence in his first few years of call-ups. But now, with Montembeault already deployed and Jake Allen far from his best form, it’s Primeau’s turn in the crease.
He will just have to accept that there are going to be some goals against. Nikita Kucherov himself is factoring into almost two goals every time he hits the ice with 104 points in 61 games, Primeau will have to hold the Lightning to three to give the team a chance like Montembeault did last game, and that’s something he has managed in five of his previous seven starts.
Nick Suzuki has been registering better than a point in his recent games as well, and has a goal in each game versus Tampa Bay so far, so the Habs have part of the answer for the league’s top scorer. It’s the supporting cast that always makes this a tough matchup for the Canadiens as they don’t have the same depth of skill. Brayden Point and Victor Hedman are also point-per-game players this season, and Brandon Hagel is just a few points off that pace with 59 through 62 games.
Tampa Bay isn’t a good defensive team — they actually allow more goals than they score — and they enter this contest on a 2-4-1 run despite those four players mentioned having at least seven points apiece in that span. With those results, their grasp on the second wild-card spot has begun to slip, currently just five points ahead of the suddenly surging Washington Capitals. The Canadiens, wrapping up a season in which things didn’t go the way they wanted, can put a dent in the post-season hopes of a division rival and try to drag the Lightning down with them.
