The Montreal Canadiens face the Tampa Bay Lightning in game two on Tuesday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The Habs emerged victorious in the first game of the series between these two talented teams, with young star Juraj Slafkowski serving as the hero. Not only did he score three goals, all three of which occurred during the power play, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime, shortly after head coach Martin Saint-Louis called a time-out to maximize the potential impact of the power play.
Beyond Slafkowski, it should also be noted that the Canadiens held a significant edge in high-danger scoring chances at 5v5 to the extent of 8-1.
Special teams will always play a big role in a short playoff series, and ideally the Habs will improve their shot share, but if they can maintain 88% control of high-quality scoring chances the rest of the game, they'll be in great position.
Lineup Changes
The Habs are not expected to make any changes to the lineup, but the same can't be said for the Lightning.
Defenseman Charles-Edouard D'Estous, who goes out of his way to play a particularly physical brand of hockey any time he faces the Habs, is unavailable due to a clean hit that knocked him out of Game One. As a result, Declan Carlyle will be included in the lineup again.
Carlile was the player who chased down Josh Anderson in the previous match, before Anderson proceeded to deliver a five-piece combination to his over-eager opponent.
"I immediately regret this decision!" - Carlyle after chasing Anderson to fight. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/bCbRjR1nRA
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 10 April 2026
Lightning head coach John Cooper will also add another adventurous player to the mix, depth forward Scott Sabourin. He may not be much of a forward when it comes to playing hockey, but he's certainly one of the few players in the league who will offer heavyweight match-ups.
Unfortunately for Sabourin, the last time he faced the Habs he was unceremoniously ejected by defenseman Arbor Czekaj, with the Habs defenseman immediately calling an assistant from the Lightning medical staff to evaluate the fallen gladiator.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Coffield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkowski
Alexandre Texier - Alex Newhook - Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc-Oliver Kapanen-Kirby Dach
Jake Evans - Philip Danault - Josh Anderson
Mike Matheson - Alexander Carrier
Caden Guhle - Lane Hutson
Jaden Struble - Arbor Zekaj
jacob dobbs
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel - Brayden Point - Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgenson - Yanni Gourde - Nick Paul
Corey Perry - Oliver Bjorkstrand - Scott Sabourin
JJ Moser - Darren Raddish
Ryan McDonagh - Eric Cernak
Declan Carlyle - Emil Lilliberg
Andrei Vasilevsky
How to watch Hubs Vs. bolt
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, will be broadcast on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.
Additional NHL Playoff Analysis
