New Canadiens lines and pairings before the playoffs start

The Montreal Canadiens walked onto the ice before the start of their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, with little opportunity to do so further.

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Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Round One Playoff Series Schedule

• Game One, 5:45 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 19, Benchmark International Arena.
• Game Two, 7 p.m. ET, Tuesday, April 21, Benchmark International Arena.
• Game Three, 7 p.m. ET, Friday, April 24, Bell Center
• Game Four, 7 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 26, Bell Center.
• Game Five, Time TBD, Wednesday, April 29, Benchmark International Arena.
• Game Six, Time TBD, Friday, May 1, Bell Center
• Game Seven, Time TBD, Sunday, May 3, Benchmark International Arena.

You'll notice that they have not yet revealed the exact start date for Games Five, Six and Seven (if necessary). There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to renting out arenas, and it seems like the logistics aren't fully understood by the NHL yet.

Montreal Canadiens playoff lineup

The Montreal Canadiens lineup was very similar to the one that was introduced earlier in the week, although it should be noted that Caden Guhle ran with Lane Hutson, not Alexander Carrier.

Things could change, but as of now, it appears the Canadiens will enter the NHL playoffs with players like Brendan Gallagher, Joe Velano and Adam Engstrom, and David Rickenbacker watching the game from the press box as healthy scratches.

It's also quite obvious that losing defenseman Noah Dobson will make matters more difficult for the Canadiens, but they are far from the only team dealing with life without one of their best blueliners.

Here are the trios and duos in training:

Caulfield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
texier-newhook-demidov
Anderson-Danault-Evans
bolduc-kapanen-dach

matheson-guhle
hutson-carrier
Struble-Xhekaj
reinbacher-angstrom

Note that Velano, Gallagher and Laine only completed one lap during... pic.twitter.com/BSu1DZt2JM

- Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) 17 April 2026

Tampa Bay Lightning playoff lineup

Former Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman will miss Sunday's series opener, and is unlikely to attend a hockey game in the near future.

starting line combination
Gonçalves-Point-Kucherov
Hegel-Cirelli-Guentzel
Girgenson-Gourde-Paul
perry-bjorkstrand-sabourin-james

Moser-Radish
McDonagh-Cernak
D'Estous-Lillebourg
carlisle-crozier

Vasilevsky
johansson

- Lightning Insider (@Erik_Erlendsson) 17 April 2026

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The... More about Mark Dumont