The Montreal Canadiens are set to face the surging Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Finals, giving us a great opportunity to evaluate their 5v5 numbers throughout the regular season.

Next we’ll look at how the Habs and Canes performed when they faced each other on three occasions.

Canadiens and Hurricanes regular-season statistics (5v5)

The first thing we should note is that the Hurricane is the epitome of an ‘analytics darling’ team. They take a lot of shots, and they outscore their opponents by significant margins.

They are also a top-5 team when it comes to creating high-danger scoring chances.

When it comes to shot-share battles, expect the Hurricane to reign supreme.

Shooting and goaltending

On the other side of the coin, the Canadians enjoyed better goaltending in both regular save percentage and high-danger save percentage. They also had more skilled shooters, including higher quality shooting opportunities.

While the Hurricanes put more rubber on net, the Habs are much better at stopping said rubber, not to mention when it comes to capitalizing on their own scoring opportunities.

It’s a battle of quantity versus quality, with the Hurricanes requiring an incredibly high volume of shots to generate most of their attack.

Target

When we boil things down to their ability to score and prevent goals their results are quite similar.

The Habs score more often at 5v5, but the Hurricanes are still among the top 10 teams, while the Canes are better at preventing the puck from entering their net, but not by much.

Canadiens Vs. storm head to head statistics

Carolina and Montreal faced off on three occasions in the regular season. All three games ended with victories for the Canadiens, although they were certainly high-event match-ups.

The Canadiens defeated the Hurricanes 7–5 on January 1, before winning two games in late March.

Overall, they outshot the Hurricanes 12-3, giving them an 80% lead in goals scored at 5v5.

That means it should be a walk in the park for hubs, right?

Absolutely not!

Statistically speaking, the Canadiens were incredibly lucky to emerge from their three games against the Hurricanes with a point, let alone three wins.

This doesn’t mean that Carolina will completely dominate the Habs at 5v5 in the upcoming series, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking that Montreal will be the favorite team due to the regular season results.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Most analysts will pick the Hurricanes to win the Eastern Conference Finals, and there is enough data to suggest that this is a very logical decision.

However, we have yet to see what impact the nearly two weeks off between playoff series will have. The Hurricanes are cold as ice, while the Canadiens have been playing essentially every two days since the playoffs began.

It is also important to remember that the Canadiens faced a lot of quality competition in the playoffs, as the Sabers and Tampa Bay Lightning were among the best teams in the Eastern Conference, while the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers were not.

If I were a betting man, my money would be on the Hurricanes, but I’d be very eager to support the Canadiens, given their tendency to rise to the challenge when faced with adversity.

And as we all know, they will face a mountain of adversities in the upcoming series vs Hurricanes.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

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

Starting Monday night, one of the best rivalries in Major League Baseball returns. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will face off at Petco Park for a three-game set. The teams have dueled for first place in the National League West for most of the year. Both teams won on Sunday, giving the Dodgers a half-game lead over San Diego. One of them will leave the series alone atop the NL West, but who has the edge?

on the mound

• Monday: Michael King (SD) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)
• Tuesday: Griffin Canning (SD) vs. Emmett Sheehan (LAD)
• Wednesday: Randy Vasquez (SD) vs. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)

Monday’s game proves to be the most viable pitchers duel of the three, with King and Yamamoto facing off in a battle of the aces. The former has boasted a 2.63 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in his first nine starts. King has been a reliable player for San Diego. Yamamoto, on the other hand, has looked a little rough lately (which is hard to say for a pitcher with a 3.60 ERA). He has scored 11 runs in his last three matches. Yamamoto and the Dodgers will be hoping to bounce back in tonight’s series opener.

Canning and Sheehan both had breakout 2025 campaigns, posting respective ERAs of 3.77 (16 starts) and 2.82 (12 starts). He has not been that good this year with scores of 10.64 and 4.54. Canning’s sample size is very small across three sports. His debut was very good (1 ER, 5.0 IP) but he has been bad since then (12 ER, 6.0 IP). To win the second game, they will have to survive Los Angeles’ strong lineup.

Ohtani has been the best starting pitcher in all of MLB. He boasts a 0.82 ERA in 44 innings. This means he will not be in the lineup for Los Angeles. Vasquez hasn’t been as good, but still has a career-best 2.68 ERA. San Diego hopes to have the two face off in a pitchers duel. Vasquez will have to hold his own against the Dodgers’ lineup if the Friars are to win.

starting lineup

Both the lineups have struggled to score runs recently. Both lineups broke into one Big Way this weekend. The Dodgers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 31–3, while San Diego defeated the Seattle Mariners 17–7. This was a huge success for two clubs who have been weak offensively over the past few weeks.

This should (hopefully) turn out to be a high-scoring series in the pitcher-friendly environment of Petco Park. The Padres won the last series at Petco Park, although the Friars were defeated by Los Angeles, 10–9.

player to watch

Recently there have been some heated clashes between the two sides. They will hope to continue that streak of success in this week’s series against their division rivals. Here are some things to look for on each side:

Gavin Sheets

Sheets has had a remarkable stretch with the Padres. He hit 19 home runs in 2025 and found his stride after a mostly average season with the Chicago White Sox. He leads the Friars with nine homers (four of which have come in his last five games!), and is on pace for 35 home runs. Although it is high, he could easily complete 20 passes for the first time in his young career.

miguel andujar

Andujar was signed at the end of the offseason for just $3 million, which will serve as platoon and valuable bench depth at the designated hitter spot. That’s too much. The Padres’ best hitter is slashing .291/.313/.480 entering Monday’s game. He has four RBI in his last seven games and has provided several big opportunities for San Diego.

shohei ohtani

Just because he’s only hitting in two out of three games doesn’t mean he can’t perform well. Although Ohtani has been one of the best starters in the league, he has been below average at the plate. That changed in a big way against Anaheim, with Ohtani going 6 for 13 with three walks over the weekend. If he can keep this up, it would be a big boost for the series and the LA season.

teoscar hernandez

Hernandez had a similarly hot weekend after an all-time low in the season. He went 4 for 12 with a walk, a home run and five RBI in the three-game series. He remains a legitimate power threat at the plate but has actually batted more for average recently. Over his last seven games he has batted .407. This might seem like another hot streak, but he’s also batting .327 in his last 15 games. This reads more as quality contact than a random bounce.

call to the bullpen

The Dodgers (somewhat surprisingly) have a better bullpen ERA than the Padres. He has a 3.06 ERA compared to San Diego’s 3.81 mark. That being said, the Friars have had to cover far more innings (205.1) than Los Angeles (144.1). And ERA isn’t a particularly good indicator of who is better, but it is a helpful benchmark for run prevention.

The Padres have an array of high-leverage relievers, headlined by closers Mason Miller, Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morezon and rookie flamethrower Bradgley Rodriguez. Those guys got plenty of comfort this weekend when San Diego’s starters managed to cover 16 innings against Seattle. If the Dodgers hope to win the game they will need to build a lead with the Friars starter out.

Although newcomer Edwin Diaz won’t be pitching for Los Angeles in the near future, Tanner Scott has surprisingly filled the closer’s role quite well. Scott boasts a 1.47 ERA after a disappointing 2025 season. Behind him are Will Klein and Alex Vessia. Klein has solidified himself as a key reliever in his second season with LA veteran Blake Treinen, struggling but still owning a serviceable 3.68 ERA. Other than those four, the Dodgers are short on depth, but not as bad at leaving late games as the 2025 group.

Here are the Montreal Canadiens and NHL news items you may have missed Tuesday.

montreal canadiens news

• The Buffalo Sabers should be considered the favorites in the second round of the NHL playoffs, but the discrepancy between the Sabers and Habs is not significant. Statistically speaking, they are much more evenly matched than the Canadiens and Lightning. All things considered, this should be another tightly contested series. [Canadiens Vs. Sabres Series Preview: Head-To-Head]

• Slovak forward Juraj Slafkowski is not feeling any effects from the first-round series against the Lightning, and he has a great way to describe his current health status.

Juraj Slafkowski today explains how he’s feeling after a physical series vs. the Lightning:

“I think I’m good, you know? I can’t really be too stupid. I don’t know what to say, I’m fine, you know? It didn’t really hurt, I’m just ready to go. I didn’t even waste any time. I just… pic.twitter.com/dTQcVLIoRE

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 5 May 2026

• Canadian prospect Bryce Pickford was named the top defenseman in the WHL, which is not surprising when we consider he enjoyed a standout season from an offensive standpoint. In 55 regular season games, Pickford scored an incredible 45 goals and 38 assists. He would add 12 more points to his tally in the playoffs.

🐅 discrepancy 🐅

Congratulations to Tigers Captain Bryce Pickford on being named the 2026 WHL Defenseman of the Year! 🏆#WHLAwards | #GoHabsGo | @CanadiensMTL pic.twitter.com/hkUufVvgg1

– Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) 5 May 2026

• It’s hard not to avoid naming Darren Reddish’s wasted goal in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Lightning as the NHL’s ‘Moment of the Round’. Does someone want to tell the NHL that the Lightning actually lost that game, let alone the series?

Some notes if possible.

1 – The series ended a few days ago.
2 – The Lightning actually lost the series.
3 – This powerplay goal was boring.
4- The boring goal was from a game the Lightning lost, in a series they lost.
5 – The NHL really had a moment with this one. https://t.co/QTqAnJKDfe

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 5 May 2026

• It is to Nikita Kucherov’s credit that he loses with much more grace than he wins, although there is a very low threshold to explain this.

Nikita Kucherov on early exit: “I think it’s on us to be able to create chances at 5-on-5 and on the power play. Credit to (Montreal) they did well, but we have to be a lot better.” pic.twitter.com/1eswreh1Ov

– Rachel West (@rachelwest__) 5 May 2026

• We have to give it to Jacob Dobbs, this is a solid chuckle in the heat of the moment, and it turns out he was right.

Jacob Dobbs explains what he said to Nikita Kucherov in Game 7:

“I know you guys are nervous. I know you’re nervous.” pic.twitter.com/kYJrfo1hk4

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 4 May 2026

• The Laval Rocket evened their series against the Toronto Marlies (2-2) with an impressive 4-0 win on Tuesday. Alex Belzile (2), Samuel Blais (2, 3), and Laurent Dauphin (2) provided the goals for Laval, while Kaapo Kahkonen stopped all 18 shots sent his way to secure the shutout.

On PK 🚀 https://t.co/Y2XWzaB9gZ pic.twitter.com/W3BhI96gx9

– xy – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) 6 May 2026

Sportsknot Network

• The NHL Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday night, and believe it or not, the Toronto Maple Leafs were awarded the No. 1 overall pick.

2026 #nhldraft Lottery results are in! ➡️

Now, who will be the first overall pick? Find June 26th in 2026 #nhldraft! pic.twitter.com/dGheSkDPTd

– NHL (@NHL) 5 May 2026

• It was believed that the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights would be a classic encounter of heated rivals who have stood in each other’s way for many years. Instead, it was the upstart Anaheim Ducks, who proceeded to play one of their best defensive games of the playoffs and send the Golden Knights to overtime in Game 1 of their round two series. [Vegas Golden Knights]

• New Jersey Devils forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier are set to represent Switzerland at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship, being held from May 15 to May 31, 2026 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. [New Jersey Devils]

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

The Montreal Canadiens will face the Buffalo Sabers in the second round of the 2026 NHL playoffs. As we did in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, we will preview the series by analyzing some of the most important 5v5 statistics powering teams during the regular season.

Next we’ll look at how the Sabers and Habs performed when they faced each other on four occasions. We’ll also evaluate special teams and x-factors in a follow-up article.

Canadiens and Sabers regular-season statistics (5v5)

Like the Lightning, the Sabers are expected to have the edge at 5v5 based on regular season results, but the discrepancy between the Habs and Sabers is much less noticeable.

In other words, even though the Sabers take more shots, score more expected goals, and have a greater share of high-danger scoring opportunities, the Canadiens are definitely still in the mix.

Shooting and goaltending

The Sabers have the advantage as far as netminding goes, although we must remember that Montreal’s regular season numbers include Samuel Montembeault’s results.

During the playoffs, rookie goaltender Jacob Dobbs has produced a .923 save percentage (all situations), though the Sabers have also received excellent netminding from Alex Lyon, who is sporting an impressive .955 save percentage.

Once again, Montreal’s only advantage in the regular season was shooting percentage, although Buffalo was also a top-5 team in that regard. They are also a better team when it comes to their high-danger shooting efficiency.

Target

The final metrics are fairly straightforward.

The Canadiens scored a lot of goals, but the Sabers did a slightly better job. The same can be said about his ability to reduce opponents’ goal scoring.

Canadiens Vs. Sabers Head-to-Head Statistics

To get a better idea of ​​how they played head-to-head, we pulled the numbers from their four meetings in the regular season. Both teams won few games, and each game was played before February. In other words, a lot has changed since then, but it’s still worth keeping in mind.

The Canadiens outshot the Sabers at 5v5 (8–6), and yet, Buffalo held the edge in shot share, expected goals and high-danger scoring opportunities, though there was no notable difference in the latter.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

The numbers suggest the Sabers are the favorites, but that’s not a surprise.

And dismissing the Hubs in this series certainly isn’t enough. It won’t be easy to emerge from the seven-game series with a win, and they will once again be considered underdogs, but the Canadians have a strange way of bringing out their best when they are facing adversity.

In fact, the Lightning had the advantage in almost every statistical category going into the first round of the NHL playoffs, and yet, the Canadiens still found a way to win.

Very good! Alex Newhook took the puck out of mid-air to score and deliver #GoHabsGo 2-1 lead! pic.twitter.com/FOpO7QTPxh

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 4 May 2026

Buffalo’s style of play is slightly more aggressive than Tampa’s, in that they out-muscle their opponents, reducing the number of passing and skating lanes available and thus creating a no-fly zone between the blue lines.

If that’s not disappointing, it’s a particularly efficient strategy to deal with a situation that should push the league’s youngest team to its limits.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

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

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories and content you may have missed on Friday.

montreal canadiens news

With Game One of the first-round series between the Habs and Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, we continue our in-depth series previews, including a comparison of their respective special teams. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Special Teams]

We also evaluated some X-factors coming into the series, including the importance of finding open space for Nick Suzuki and the rest of the first line. The Canadiens score a lot of goals, but if Tampa Bay’s shutdown line finds its rhythm, things will quickly turn sour for Montreal. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Top X Factors]

ICYMI: There is no doubt, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been the better team at 5v5 this season. However, when the numbers between Montreal and the Lightning are evaluated against each other in their four games, the discrepancy is less noticeable, with the Canadiens managing to control more shots than the Bolts. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Head-To-Head]

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is now officially a father! The 26-year-old player did not practice on Thursday in support of his wife Caitlin. They welcomed a daughter, Maya, into the world.

Prospect Alexis Cournoyer will be playing for one of the best NCAA teams next year. The 20-year-old netminder has utilized the transfer portal, and will be attending games for the Wisconsin Badgers, the team that lost to the Denver Pioneers in the national championship.

Cornell freshman Alexis Cournoyer (MTL 5th Round), the ECAC’s Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year, has signed with Wisconsin.

– Brad Elliot Schlosman (@SchlosmanGF) 17 April 2026

I promise you that anything written by Michael Farber will be worth your time.

There is no team-town connection in Canada like Les Canadiens and Montreal, especially during the playoffs.

“It smells like a cup.”

This is fans’ favorite expression when playoff time comes @michaelfarber3 Explains how there’s something in the air: https://t.co/kYUYJTGCPc pic.twitter.com/bDNBOKAVgj

– TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) 17 April 2026

NHL 26 ran a simulation ahead of the 2026 NHL playoffs and the Montreal Canadiens came out on top. To be honest, it means very little historically. For the most part, the teams selected by EA Sports struggle in the playoffs.

Sim has spoken 🔮

Yours #NHL26 Playoff Simulation Stanley Cup Champions:
@CanadiensMTL 🏆 pic.twitter.com/riaefS08hQ

– EA Sports NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) 17 April 2026

Sportsknot Network

New Jersey Devils win general manager free agent frenzy. Sunny Mehta was named Devils GM on Thursday evening. Mehta, an analytical guru, will bring a fresh perspective to the position left by former GM Tom Fitzgerald. Said approach begins immediately. The Devils have a long list of things to address ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft and free agent frenzy. So, where does he start? [New Jersey Devils]

San Jose Sharks phenom Maclin Celebrini recently concluded a season where he broke the franchise’s single-season points record and reached milestones that were only achieved by the all-time greats. With this, he can break some new records with his next contract. [San Jose Sharks]

As the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators face each other on Saturday to open the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they will do so after battling similar adversity in the regular season. [Carolina Hurricanes]

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

The Carolina Hurricanes’ first round playoff game against the Ottawa Senators has been scheduled, and excitement is high due to one of the Hurricanes’ best seasons on record.

How do the playing styles of the Hurricanes and Senators match up?

Interestingly, both the Hurricanes and Senators utilize a similar playing style. Preferring an attack-heavy approach, they both focus on outscoring their opponent in all three areas – but especially in the offensive zone. Both teams are in the top 10 in the league for most shots on goal (Hurricanes 2nd, Senators 9th), and in the top three for fewest shots (Hurricanes 1st, Senators 3rd).

That being said, with the exception of shooting percentage, the Hurricanes lead the Senators in most general statistics and analytics (as expected due to the Hurricanes’ high volume of shots on goal), allowing more high-danger opportunities.

Hurricanes goaltending vs. Senators goaltending

In goaltending, both the Hurricanes and Senators have performed well recently.

For Ottawa, Linus Ullmark has improved markedly since his leave of absence in late December. Before that, he was 14-9-5 with just an .881 save percentage. Since returning, he has posted a 14–4–3 record and a .904 save percentage.

Additionally, James Reimer has proven to be a solid backup since signing during Ullmark’s absence, helping him lead the standings with 16 valuable points in 13 games played throughout the season.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have relied on the consistency of first-year NHLer, Brandon Bussey, to overcome injuries and slumps where he compiled a 31-6-2 record – tied for the fourth-most goaltender wins across the league this season. After the Olympic break, his performances were a bit subdued compared to what he was producing, but still, he went 8-3-1 in those games.

As for Frederik Andersen, the Olympics did well for him and gave him a much-needed reset after his own bad situation began in early November. Prior to the Olympics, he had posted a record of 7–10–5, but after a stellar effort for Team Denmark, he finished the remainder of the NHL season 9–4–0.

Statistically, the Hurricanes have the edge over the Senators, but it can’t be denied that both teams have not only survived a lot of adversity in net, but thrived in spite of it.

How did the Hurricanes fare against the Senators in the season series?

Of the three games played between the Hurricanes and Senators, the Hurricanes won two. However, those victories did not come easily.

January 24 – Hurricanes win 4–1

In their first meeting, the Hurricanes were outshot and had 37 shots on goal (59 total shot attempts) and only 19 shots on goal (44 total shot attempts). The Senators held the edge in physicality, giving them 12 of their 34 hits, and also owned the faceoff dot for the most part, with the Hurricanes winning only 32.1% of faceoffs. Ultimately, it was Busey who saved his bacon, playing the best game of his NHL career to date, recording his highest save percentage in a single game (except for his two shutouts, where he made 16 saves in each).

February 3 – Hurricanes win 4–3

It was a similar story in the second meeting, as the Senators still outshot them 27–19, attempting 54 shots compared to their 50. However, the Hurricanes threw around the body more than in the previous game, giving up 20 of their 27 hits, and their faceoffs improved, making things even 50–50. Additionally, he also saw an increase in offensive zone starts, dropping the puck in the Senators zone 61.4% of the time, as opposed to 32.5% the previous match. The score was very close, but still in favor of the Hurricanes.

April 5 – Senators win 6–3

In their latest meeting, the Hurricanes did not have a good time against the Senators, defeating them 6–3. He saw another defeat in Dots, as he won only 39.1% of his draws. However, they produced a strong offensive effort, making 28 shots to the Senators’ 31, and 64 shot attempts to the Senators’ 56, as they defeated Ottawa 30–28. Ultimately, the Senators blocked 22 of those shots.

However, the Hurricanes suffered three losses in the game.

First, they were missing both Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook from the lineup, as they were being rested. Secondly, they were in the second half of a back-to-back, going from a 7:00 pm puck drop to a 5:00 pm puck drop, which included a trip. After all, they had clinched a playoff berth the night before, and thus, did not have to meet the same level of frustration displayed by the Senators.

Round One Schedule and Broadcast Information

All Hurricanes first-round games will be broadcast by the local team on FanDuel Sports Network South, in addition to the national broadcast. However, this will likely be the last time we see broadcasts from FDSNSO, as it is expected to shut down indefinitely at the conclusion of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

game 1
When: Saturday, April 18, 3:00 pm EDT
Where: Raleigh, NC | Lenovo Center
How to watch: ESPN, FDSNO, SN, OMNI, TVAS

game 2
When: Monday, April 20, 7:30 pm EDT
Where: Raleigh, NC | Lenovo Center
How to watch: ESPN2, FDSNO, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS

game 3
When: Thursday, April 23, 7:30 pm EDT
Where: Ottawa, Ontario | Canadian Tire Center
How to watch: TBS, HBO Max, FDSNO, SN, CBC, TVAS

game 4
When: Saturday, April 25, 3:00 pm EDT
Where: Ottawa, Ontario | Canadian Tire Center
How to watch: TBS, TruTV, HBO Max, FDSenzo, SN, TVAS, Omni

game 5 (if necessary)
When: Monday, April 27, TBD
Where: Raleigh, NC | Lenovo Center
How to watch: TBD, FDSNSO

game 6 (if necessary)
When: Thursday, April 30, TBD
Where: Ottawa, Ontario | Canadian Tire Center
How to watch: TBD, FDSNSO

game 7 (if necessary)
When: Saturday, May 2, TBD
Where: Raleigh, NC | Lenovo Center
How to watch: TBD, FDSNSO

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories and content you may have missed on Wednesday.

montreal canadiens news

There is no doubt, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been the better team at 5v5 this season. However, when the numbers between Montreal and the Lightning are evaluated against each other in their four games, the discrepancy is less noticeable, with the Canadiens managing to control more shots than the Bolts. [Playoff Preview: Canadiens Vs. Lightning Head-To-Head]

The Laval Rocket have lost some key players to the Habs this year, making reinforcements necessary. Luckily, Vinzenz Rohrer is on his way to joining the Rockets, and will participate in his first practice with the team on Friday. The Rockets are in first place in the North Division with two games left to play in the regular season.

The Canadiens have loaned forward Vincenzo Rohrer to the Laval Rocket.

The Canadiens have re-assigned forward Vincenzo Rohrer to the Laval Rocket. pic.twitter.com/tq76w7s933

– X – Canadiens Montreal (@CanadiensMTL) 15 April 2026

Two goaltending prospects have entered the NCAA transfer portal, meaning they are looking for a new school for the 2026-27 season. Alexis Cournoyer is moving on from Cornell, while Quentin Miller will no longer play for the University of Denver. Considering that John Hicks came out of nowhere and had a surprisingly great season in Denver (.957 save percentage), Miller’s decision makes a lot of sense. As for Cournoyer, he’s probably hoping to land with a team that has championship aspirations.

Alexis Cournoyer (Cornell) and Quentin Miller (Denver) have entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Both #GoHabsGo The netminders have looked pretty good so far in college. .916 and .915 SV% respectively.

This transfer window has been very strange.

– Hadi Kalakeche (@HadiK_Scouting) 15 April 2026

I have to say that it’s quite interesting that the Canadiens are heading into the playoffs without having many questions answered about their second line. I’ve been as critical of Oliver Kapanen as anyone could be, but in the long run, he is the player who has managed to take advantage of Ivan Demidov’s excellent play more often than anyone else. A bird in hand…

Who should play with Ivan Demidov on the second line against the Tampa Bay Lightning?#GoHabsGo #DasikPodcast @tonymarinaro @StuCowan1 pic.twitter.com/GxOwOplAss

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) 15 April 2026

Sportsknot Network

The search for the next general manager of the New Jersey Devils is in full swing. Devils ownership and their search committee have begun interviewing candidates as soon as this week for the vacant GM job left by Tom Fitzgerald following what was described as a “mutual breakup.” [New Jersey Devils]

The game between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders had some upsets, but most of them occurred before the puck dropped at UBS Arena. [Carolina Hurricanes]

The Detroit Red Wings have some big decisions to make ahead of the 2026 NHL offseason. Despite scoring the most points (92) in a season since 2016, the Red Wings would not participate in the playoffs. [Detroit Red Wings]

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

The Montreal Canadiens will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs, a repeat of the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.

Of course, a lot has changed between then and now, especially for hubs. They are the youngest team in the league, and will face a much older Lightning lineup that is loaded with playoff experience.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some important stats that will play a big role in deciding the winner of this first round series. We’ll start with 5v5 numbers before moving on to special teams in the following analysis piece.

Canadiens and Lightning at 5v5

To get a better idea of ​​which teams are expected to maintain the momentum, we can take a closer look at three specific team-driven statistics.

The first is shot share, which is the percentage of shots a team controls in a given period. This is often represented as ‘Corsi For %’, or ‘CF%’. I prefer to use the term shot share, because it is straightforward.

For example: If there are 10 shots in a period, and a team controls eight of them, they will have an 80% shot share. If there were 100 shots in a game and a team generated 40 of them, their shot share would be 40%.

As you can see in the chart below, the Lightning did a great job at controlling shots throughout the season, and finished with the third-highest shot share in the NHL. The Canadiens are on the other end of the spectrum, controlling just 48.6% of their shots, good for 23rd in the league.

Expected goal share takes into account certain factors including shot quality, shot location and shot type. A deflected shot will have a better chance of scoring than an unblocked shot from the point, so it will have a higher expected goal value.

The Canadiens control the same expected goals percentage as their shot share, not to mention a similar ranking of 23rd in the league. The Lightning do a much better job in this regard, and they find themselves in the top-5 teams in the NHL when it comes to their expected goal share.

Once again the Lightning found themselves several times ahead of the Canadiens as far as high-danger shot share goes. The lack of high-danger scoring opportunities has been an ongoing issue for the Habs since the rebuild began nearly five years ago.

Goaltending and shooting

The Lightning goaltenders do a better job than their Canadiens counterparts, though it should be noted that the numbers include the results produced by Samuel Montembeault, a netminder who is unlikely to feature as a starter against Tampa Bay.

Despite this, it is clear that the Lightning have the goalscoring advantage at 5v5, especially when it comes to blocking high-danger shots.

As far as shooting efficiency goes, you’ll notice that the Canadiens actually managed to edge out the Lightning, as they were the team with the highest shooting percentage at 5v5 in the entire league. I suggest this is not necessarily a good sign, as a low-volume, high-efficiency team runs the risk of being vulnerable in a short series, especially if some of the team’s best snipers can’t find their rhythm.

That being said, at the very least, you could argue that the Habs have slightly better accuracy, although the Lightning rank first in the NHL when it comes to their high-danger shooting percentage, which mitigates the Canadiens’ advantage in the shooting department.

Target

The final numbers we’ll evaluate are simple, and provide little consolation to Habs fans who are hoping to see an upset, with the emphasis on ‘slightly’.

Both the Canadiens and Lightning are great at scoring goals, with the latter being better at preventing pucks from getting into their net.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Of course, the numbers don’t paint an encouraging picture for Canadians. For all intents and purposes, they are disenfranchised, and substantially disenfranchised.

John Cooper is likely to advocate his way through a speech that somehow portrays the Canadiens as favourites, but make no mistake, there is little in the numbers to suggest that the Lightning should be considered anything other than massive favorites to win the first-round series.

It’s also important to remember that hockey isn’t played on spreadsheets, and the Canadiens have a funny way of making the numbers appear irrelevant after the final whistle.

The playoffs are a different kind of beast, where passion can trump logic.

Apart from this, there are other statistics that paint a different picture of the upcoming match.

If we filter out the results of the four games in which the Canadiens and Bolts faced off, the numbers are more encouraging. Each team won two games, with the Habs victorious in the final two meetings of the season.

Canadiens vs Lightning Head to Head (5v5)

As you can see, the Montreal Canadiens actually held a pretty significant advantage in shot share across the four games against the Lightning. In fact, Tampa Bay controlled only 47.2% of its shots, one of the worst results of any opponent in a season series versus Montreal.

On the other side of the coin, as usual, the Canadians failed miserably when it came to controlling high-danger shots.

Interestingly, the Lightning received better goaltending and better shooting, including saves and goals on high-danger shots.

Simply put, they capitalized on their opportunities with a much greater frequency than the Habs, while outpacing a team that has struggled to generate many shots all season. This doesn’t mean the Montreal Canadiens will sweep the Lightning every game, but it’s certainly a situation worth keeping in mind as we await puck drop in Game One of the first-round series.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

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

The Montreal Canadiens host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, in a preview of a potential first-round matchup between two clubs who aren’t shy about displaying their hatred for each other.

Amid fighting, scrimmages and ugly play, Habs sniper Cole Caufield scored his 50th goal of the year, power forward Juraj Slafkowski scored his 30th goal, and the Canadiens picked up a very important 2–1 win against the Bolts.

Let’s look at the highlights!

To assault

All things considered, this was a low-incident first period. More than half the frame was played at 5v5, meaning there were very few scoring opportunities due to the glut of power plays. It was akin to a pair of heavyweight boxers feeling each other out in the first round of a championship bout.

Or, perhaps more accurately, the first round of backyard fights, the kind that ended up on VHS sold in bootleg markets in the 1990s.

Either way, the first period represented the calm before the proverbial Darud sandstorm.

half century

The second period featured less than eight minutes of play, but it was enough for Caufield to find the net for the 50th time this season.

It should be noted that Caufield’s 50 goals did not include a single empty-net marker. In fact, Caufield hasn’t added to his career total with a single empty-net goal, but I digress.

Appropriately, Slafkowski and Nick Suzuki provided assists in the scoring game.

Cole Caufield is a 50-goal scorer 🚨🔥 pic.twitter.com/WXR9G2TFyF

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) 10 April 2026

throwing haymakers

Even before the violence took center stage, it was quite clear that Habs and the Bolts didn’t need much of a boost in the physical department. The teams battled each other all night, a common occurrence whenever an NHL team faces a Florida-based club.

Montreal did a good job of controlling the scoring plays, not to mention responding to Tampa’s classic, yet frustrating playing style.

It was Josh Anderson who ultimately provided the spark needed to ignite the fire.

The moves between the Habs and Lightning began with Anderson and D’Astas. #GoHabsGo #gobolts pic.twitter.com/fuAnomkidu

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 10 April 2026

Whenever Nikita Kucherov was on the ice, the Lightning paid particular attention to Andersen’s physicality, leading to a one-sided battle between the Canadiens forward and Declan Carlyle.

“I immediately regret this decision!” – Carlyle after chasing Anderson to fight. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/bCbRjR1nRA

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 10 April 2026

Change of pace late in the game

Once the players settled down a bit and the inefficient power play gave way to 5v5 hockey, the Bolts took advantage of the moment and tied the game in the final minutes of the third period.

Luckily for the Habs, Slafkovsky was quick to respond, scoring his 30th goal of the season and becoming the first Slovak to reach 30 goals since Marian Hossa in 2013–14.

Juraj Slafkowski has 30 goals! He is the first Slovak to reach 30 since Marian Hossa in 2013–14.

gives his goal #GoHabsGo A significant lead of 2-1. pic.twitter.com/rVovUhE8mV

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 10 April 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

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

The Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10) will face the New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) on Sunday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

This is the second leg of back-to-back games in which both teams have managed to secure at least one point in the first matchup. The Canadiens jumped out to a 3–0 lead, but the Devils battled back into the game to force it into a shootout, where first-year players Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen scored for the Habs.

Cole Caulfield also scored, but only in the shootout, meaning the Bell Center faithful will have a chance to celebrate his 50th goal.

It’s also important to note that the Canadiens can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday. If they beat the Devils again, they will make it on their own, however, if the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Minnesota Wild they will officially qualify as well. The Habs only have 32 regulation wins, which is why the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently below them in the Atlantic Division standings, have already qualified.

Simply put, it’s only a matter of time before the Canadiens punch their ticket to the springtime dance for the second consecutive season, quite an accomplishment when we consider they finished last in the league in 2021-22.

Lineup Changes

Given that the team did not practice on Sunday, any lineup changes will be confirmed when the Canadiens take the ice for pregame warm-ups.

That being said, the Habs are expected to give rookie netminder Jacob Fowler the start on Sunday, as his first-year counterpart Jacob Dobbs faced the Devils on Saturday night.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Cole Coffield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkowski

Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov

Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson

Joe Veleno – Philip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson

Jaden Struble- Lane Hutson

Caden Guhle – Arbor Zekaj

jacob fowler

New Jersey Devils Projected Lineup

Timo Meyer – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

Jasper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Connor Brown

Lenny Haminaho – Cody Glass – Nick Bjugstad

Evgeny Dadonov – Paul Couture – Maxim Tsyplyakov

Jonas Seigenthaler – Dougie Hamilton

Luke Hughes – Jonathan Kovacevic

Brendan Dillon – Simon Nemec

jacob markstrom

How to watch Hubs Vs. the devil

Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 5, 2026, will be broadcast on TSN2 and RDS. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.

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