The Montreal Canadiens (1-1) face the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1) in Game 3 on Friday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

With the series returning to Montreal, the Habs will have a great opportunity to regain home ice advantage with a little help from their friends at the Bell Centre. Of course, you have to win four games to win the series, but whenever an underdog manages to take a 2-1 lead in a first-round series, its chances of emerging victorious increase significantly.

And while some may get the impression that the Lightning have been the much better team in the first two games of the series, the numbers suggest a very interesting division.

The Lightning did a great job controlling shots, but the Canadiens dominated high-danger scoring opportunities by a score of 18-7 at 5v5.

If the Canadiens can continue to focus on hockey while ignoring the consistently slick hockey that Tampa Bay has to offer, they should be in good shape, all things considered.

They will also need their first line to wake up and start producing at 5v5, which will be facilitated by keeping Nick Suzuki and Co. away from Brandon Hagel’s line.

As far as defensemen, the third pairing of Jaden Struble and Arbor Zekaj have provided excellent hockey in the playoffs, while the top four have struggled to find their rhythm. Reuniting Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson, while pairing Alexander Carrier with Caden Guhle, may be the best way forward for the Canadiens and Individuals, as they have shown they can put up encouraging statistics with recommended partners in the past.

As for Zekaj, he’s excited to bring the fun back to Montreal, especially given the physical nature of the series.

“I’ll be honest,” he explained. “For physical guys like Anderson, Struble and me, the energy of the playoff crowd in Montreal is a big plus. I woke up this morning with a smile. The entire province has been locked down. It’s going to be an incredible night!”

Arbor Xhekaj:

“I’ll be honest. For physical guys like Anderson, Struble and me, the energy of the crowd in the playoffs in Montreal is a big plus. I woke up this morning with a smile. The whole province is on fire. It’s going to be an incredible evening.”

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) 24 April 2026

Possible Lineup Changes

Neither team will announce any major changes until puck drop, but the Canadiens had some relatively interesting news at practice.

Several players were missing, including Juraj Slafkowski, Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson.

Here it is! Playoff hockey at the Bell Center.

Not everyone is skating today – Newhook, Struble, Slafkovsky, Anderson, Dach are some of the names absent. #hubs pic.twitter.com/B3yChjTDd8

– Kenzie Lalonde (@KenzieTSN) 24 April 2026

Most are expected to play on Friday night, but there’s a chance we could see a new face in the lineup, with Velano serving as Montreal’s most likely back-up plan.

Patrik Laine is still listed as injured, and he won’t be available for the Habs, but there’s a chance we could see veteran Brendan Gallagher back in with a few changes. His aggressive style of play will fit well into this series, as long as he manages to keep his emotions in control when dealing with Lightning’s constant provocations.

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 Friday, April 24, 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

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

armory Regularly mentioned as a suitor for Atalanta’s Marco Palestra, who is impressing on loan at Cagliari. The price tag for the Defender is now becoming increasingly apparent.

The full-back has been one of the shining lights for Italian football this season. He has made quite an impact in Sardinia after breaking into the national team last month.

Very quickly, clubs in England started keeping a close eye on the player. last week, sports witness Gazzetta dello Sport covered claims about Arsenal’s interest, with Manchester City also keen.

Not long ago, Liverpool tried for the Palestra but Atalanta preferred to loan him to Cagliari instead.

Now, the defender is very likely to leave Atalanta in the summer.

The Premier League is looming on the horizon

sportitalia Note that the 21-year-old has had an ‘incredible season’ at Cagliari. He impressed against Inter Milan on Saturday, as he was caught on camera talking to Christian Chivu and Marcus Thuram.

This is being seen as a huge sign of interest from the Nerazzurri but the Italian giants will not have an easy task.

Atlanta wants at least He is up for sale for €30 million and this price tag would make a sale to Arsenal and England more likely.

The report cited Riccardo Calafiori and Diego Coppola as examples of Italian talents moving to England. Inter want to avoid this with the Palestra but will struggle to go against the inevitable.

A major factor in their move will be the exit of Denzel Dumfries. If the Dutchman leaves, Inter may have some extra money to spare for the young player.

Arsenal must keep trying

It was only a matter of time before Marco Palestra would attract the attention of the biggest English clubs. Generally, there has been an influx of Italian players into the Premier League, with agents appearing more open to deals.

Palestra is represented by Alessandro Lucci, who also manages Arsenal’s Calafiori. This should give the Gunners the opportunity to sign talent, especially if they remain strongly in the race.

He can play as a forward and full-back, making him a useful profile. Mikel Arteta has also historically liked versatile defenders, with Calafiori himself being an excellent example of this.

The biggest hurdle will be posed by Atalanta, who have historically been difficult to deal with.

As the opening weekend approaches for the 2026 season, many teams have tested their mettle so far and have made an encouraging start to the year.

But not all of those teams had top debuting prospects. Five of MLB’s 30 teams had young players performing well in 2026. Here’s a look at each one’s start to the year:

Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox

Although the White Sox lost to the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend, it wasn’t for a lack of effort from Murakami.

The former two-time KBO Central League MVP showed Chicago why they signed him this offseason, hitting a home run in each of his first three games with the club.

More encouraging, however, is that Murakami is taking his walks. He has walked four times in 13 plate appearances, giving him a .538 OBP to start the year.

There was concern about his high strikeout numbers in the KBO, and that’s still warranted considering his four strikeouts. But it’s safe to say that he has managed to overcome those concerns so far.

Chase Delauter, Cleveland Guardians

Adding another slugger to this group (with a historic four home runs in his first three games), Deloutre spent the opening weekend destroyed Pitching staff of the Seattle Mariners.

Although his series ultimately ended, it still marks an impressive debut that has only been done once more (Trevor Story, 2016).

Through four games, DeLauter has a ridiculous .353/.353/1.059 slash line with an OPS of 1.412. That level of production probably won’t continue (and has already dropped off a bit in game four against Seattle), but Cleveland will need him to produce to take the AL Central crown once again.

Kevin McGonigal, Detroit Tigers

McGonigal’s lack of slugs so far has separated him from the first two (though not without effort).

After troubling the San Diego Padres’ pitching staff with a magical four-hit hit on Opening Day, McGonigle tried to do the same the next evening. In his first at-bat against starter Michael King, he lofted a fly ball to center that was sure to go out…until it didn’t.

Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill managed Now! It was blocked, denying McGonigal his first MLB home run.

But McGonigal will have the last laugh. He later had a 10 pitch at-bat against Wendy Peralta that ended with the decisive two-run single. The Tigers would not relinquish the lead after that.

McGonigal began the year ranked second in batting average (.417) and slugging percentage (.583) and third in on-base percentage (.462) among Detroit hitters.

There were concerns about the Tigers’ production ability this off-season. They are largely satisfied with the performance of the star newbie in this series.

Owen Casey, Miami Marlins

The only player to have already made his MLB debut, Casey made his Marlins debut this year after being the headliner in the Edward Cabrera trade with the Chicago Cubs.

He promptly rewarded Miami.

In three games, he has gone 5 for 10 with two doubles and a walk-off home run against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday night.

The Marlins are trying to be competitive this year after (surprisingly) missing the playoffs in 2025. With star left fielder Kyle Stowers injured at the beginning of the year, Casey will be confident in his performance.

JJ Weatherholt, St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis’ starting second baseman, Weatherholt made his MLB debut on Opening Day. He had a stellar .308/.333/.538 slash line throughout the weekend and a solid .917 fielding percentage in the infield.

As if his first home run wasn’t enough, he hit it alone on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After trading away most of their stars this offseason, the Cards are focused on rebuilding. The dominant belief is that they will not be competitive this year. But it will be fun for St. Louis fans to see the young star perform.

Sunday is usually a day of rest. But not for New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek.

Kolek helped the Knicks defeat the Washington Wizards 145–113 at Madison Square Garden, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 3-of-4 from long range in just five minutes off the bench.

New York won its sixth consecutive game and went ahead 47–25.

Kolek, 24, was a very busy man on Sunday. Before being called up by the Knicks, he starred for the Westchester Knicks in the G League earlier in the day and dropped 42 points and 11 assists in a 141-131 win over the Greensboro Swarm at the Westchester County Center.

The second-year guard went 15 of 22 from the field, including 9 of 14 from three-point territory.

From Westchester to MSG in one day 👏

Earlier today, Tyler Kolek scored 42 PTS and 11 AST for the Westchester Knicks in an NBA G League game…

He then headed to MSG and scored 11 PTS in the fourth quarter for the New York Knicks. pic.twitter.com/6WeCwZn8GR

– NBA (@NBA) 23 March 2026

Kolek, who is on a two-way contract, has quickly become a fan favorite in the Big Apple due to his passionate approach to the game. He always gives his all, whether he gets five minutes or 25 minutes.

He has received even less playing time with the arrival of Jose Alvarado at the trade deadline, but Kolek remains a consummate professional, supporting his teammates as one of the team’s biggest cheerleaders on the bench.

He is averaging 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 11.9 minutes per outing. There was a six-game stretch in December when he averaged 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists, proving that he can perform well if given enough playing time.

Karl-Anthony led the Knicks over the Wizards with a double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds.

They return to action on Tuesday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans.

JJ Redick heaped praise on Luka Doncic after he stunned the Nets in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.

Doncic is going through the eighth season of his NBA career, his second with the Lakers. He has made significant progress in his adaptation to Los Angeles, which has become a key factor in the team’s chances of success.

In 38 minutes of action, Doncic lit up the court from nowhere against Miami’s defense. He finished with a stat line of 60 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists. He made 18 of 30 shots from the field, including 9 of 17 from beyond the arc and 15 of 19 from the free-throw line.

Redick reflected on Doncic’s hot stretch of scoring after the game. After Thursday night, the Lakers superstar has scored 51 points, 30 points, 36 points and 40 points in the team’s winning streak. This resulted in the head coach praising Doncic’s remarkable efforts.

Reddick said, “His teammates are enjoying it just as much as him right now… It’s a special race.”

Luka Doncic, how the Lakers played against the Heat

JJ Redick and the Lakers are happy to see Luka Doncic getting hot at a crucial time. Los Angeles is coming off a big win, moving it up in the conference standings and the playoff picture.

Four players scored in double figures for Los Angeles in the win, including Doncic. LeBron James delivered a triple-double performance of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists on 8 of 12 shooting from the field. Austin Reeves was next with 18 points and five rebounds, while Marcus Smart added 13 points and four assists.

Los Angeles improved to a 45–25 record on the season and finished third in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, while trailing the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Coming off the back of eight consecutive wins, the Lakers will be looking forward to their next contest. They are on the road when they face the Orlando Magic on March 21st at 7pm ET.

It was a historic night for the Miami Heat and especially Bam Adebayo. He scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards. moving forward late Kobe Bryant For scoring the second most points in an NBA game.

This was a moment that instantly went viral with no Who’s celebrating in the NBA?. They also include LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki. Also, Adebayo’s fiancée, Aja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, was right there in the court Celebrating achievement.

After the game, Adebayo took time to celebrate With Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, according to SM Highlights. As Adebayo came off the floor, Spoelstra was waiting for him with open arms and he gave him a big hug.

Bam Adebayo gave his head coach Erik Spoelstra a big gift after the 83-run loss, it’s love.

❤️ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PR48GY7ZrK

– SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) 11 March 2026

Adebayo before breaking Kobe’s record Surpasses LeBron James’ mark of 61 pointsMost points scored by a Heat player in a game. In the end, the Heat defeated the weak Washington Wizards 150–129.

Overall, Adebayo was 20 of 43 from the field, 7 of 22 at the 3-point line, and 36 of 43 at the foul line.

Furthermore, Adebayo is averaging 18.9 points per game. On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors. He was 28 of 46 from the field, 7 of 13 at the 3-point line and 18 of 20 at the foul line.

The most points in an NBA game were scored by Wilt Chamberlain in March 1962. That day, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain and his Philadelphia Warriors were playing the New York Knicks.

Overall, Chamberlain was 36 of 63 from the field and 28 of 32 from the free throw line. The Warriors won 169–147.

It was a moment that still remains the standard for NBA individual excellence.

Adebayo has been with the Heat for nine seasons, beginning with the 2017–18 NBA season.

Sunderland goalkeeper Melker Aalborg admitted it was “difficult” to make his Premier League debut after the 22-year-old kept a clean sheet in the Black Cats’ 1-0 win over Leeds United.

spoke to the swedish goalkeeper sportbladet After the match he described the moment as an “incredible” experience. January transfer from Malmö FF.

Aalborg was given the starting spot as regular goalkeeper Robin Roefs missed the game due to injury. Sunderland took all three points, with Habib Diarra scoring the only goal from the penalty spot.

The goalkeeper spoke immediately after the final whistle while the Sunderland team bus headed north. He said the team’s mood was positive after both the win and his individual achievement.

“It’s a good atmosphere and everyone is very happy, both for the win and for me too,” Aalborg said.

However, the young goalkeeper admitted that the moment was not quite over yet.

“It’s hard to accept. It’s a dream come true. To make your debut in the best league in the world and keep a clean sheet feels incredible. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Instant effect after January arrival

Aalborg only arrived at Sunderland during the January transfer window, when the club signed him from Malmö FF. Swedish reports said the deal was worth around £3.3m (€3.9m).

Despite being new to the club, the goalkeeper revealed the transition has been smooth.

“It was perfect. I felt so welcome from day one that it felt like I’d been at Sunderland for more than a month.” He said.

The 22-year-old also highlighted how Sunderland’s defense helped ease his debut night.

“It was nice to make a good save and feel like I came into the game. It’s been a pretty simple match for me.”He said. “Our outfield players and defenders work very hard to block shots and clear the ball away. He made it easy for me.”

Good news for Sunderland

Aalborg’s debut may not require sustained heroics, but a clean sheet in his Premier League debut will certainly strengthen his case for more opportunities.

With Roughs currently sidelined, Sunderland may now have another reliable option between the positions. Aalborg, meanwhile, has already given the kind of start most young goalkeepers only dream of.

After missing much of February due to a calf injury and knee management, Joel Embiid returned after the All-Star break for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Indiana Pacers, where he scored 27 points in 26 minutes in a 21-point win over the Indiana Pacers.

Does Embiid look 100 percent back to his MVP form? No, he looked like someone who hadn’t played a basketball game since February 7th, but even though it took him a step or two longer to get up and down the court, he still gave Jay Huff and company fits on both ends of the court.

One fan who was particularly impressed by Embiid’s return? Former Villanova Wildcats basketball head coach Jay Wright, who took to social media to celebrate “The Process” for his efficiency and intensity on the court.

“To be out for so long and come back with efficiency and intensity is incredible talent!!” Wright wrote. “Joel Embiid, a unique talent, Sixers.”

To be out for so long and come back with efficiency and intensity is incredible talent!! a unique talent @JoelEmbiid @sixers. https://t.co/rLfnPiLWRK

– Jay Wright (@CoachJayWright) 25 February 2026

The most successful basketball coach in the Greater Philadelphia area this century, Wright has been the apple of 76ers fans’ eyes since his first national championship win on the main line, with his 2022 retirement leading many to believe he will make the jump to the pro level for the first time in his career. While so far, that leap hasn’t been made, the fact that Wright remains a 76ers fan has fans in the comments section urging him to return to the bench in place of Nick Nurse, where he can unlock Embiid’s “efficiency and intensity.”

Will this happen? Only time will tell, but if Embiid continues to play like his efforts against the Pacers, the 76ers could get their own banner before “The Process” joins Wright in retirement.

Matheus Cunha has publicly defended Ruben Amorim and insisted that credit for Manchester United’s recent improvement should still be given to the Portuguese coach.

talking to DAZN PortugalCunha explained that he feels Amorim’s influence is visible, even though United have now entered a new phase under Michael Carrick.

“I was always very grateful for everything Ruben did,” Cunha said. “When things change, it’s very easy to see what came up only as problems. But it’s quite the opposite – he was an incredible person.”

There is weight in those words. Amorim’s magic at United divided opinions. The results were inconsistent. Strategic debates dominated the coverage. Yet Cunha suggests that internal perception was very different from external noise.

pressure and perception

Cunha pointed directly to the pressures surrounding Amorim’s tactical system.

“The pressure on that system to deliver was so great that we forgot how simple the overall context was and focused too much on the negative.” he explained.

In other words, the investigation may have overshadowed the structural work being done behind the scenes.

Importantly, Cunha also highlighted recruitment. “A lot of new players came in because of him. So I think he’s a big part of the success we’re having now.”

This is an important claim. This implies that the current movement under Carrick is not entirely different from that of the era of Amorim, but is partly a continuation of the foundation already laid.

more than just structures

Cunha also downplayed Amorim’s allegations obsession with strategic shapes.

“To be very honest, I think football numerology is very confusing,” He said. “We attack in different ways and end up defending in the formation that everyone says is Ruben’s.”

That comment subtly reinforces his broader point. Systems evolve during matches. Structures change. What matters is harmony and understanding.

For Manchester United supporters, this provides an interesting inside perspective. Amorim’s tenure cannot be remembered solely through results or structures. According to Cunha, his cultural and squad-building influence still shapes United today.