The Montreal Canadiens (46-22-10) will face the Tampa Bay Lightning (48-24-6) on Thursday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
It is a battle of two teams aiming to take first place in the Atlantic Division, although it should be noted that the Buffalo Sabers are currently the top team with 104 points. The Habs and Lightning both have 102 points, but with fewer regulation wins than the Sabres, which is the first standings tiebreaker.
Regardless of the details, it’s fair to say that Thursday’s matchup will be important beyond the divisional standings.
If the 2026 NHL playoffs began today, the Canadiens would face the Lightning in the first round, given that they are currently the second- and third-place teams in the Atlantic Division.
In other words, even though both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, and the final games in the regular season may lack in effort and passion, we’re expecting the Lightning and Canadiens to put on a great show on Thursday night.
To add to the intensity mix, this is the second time the teams will face each other in a little over a week. The Habs emerged with a 4–1 win against the Lightning on March 31.
Lineup Changes
Joe Veleno is expected to return to the lineup replacing Zachary Bolduc on the third line.
The starting goaltender has not been announced, but all signs point to Jacob Dobbs serving as Montreal’s netminder against the Lightning. The Dobbs have won six consecutive games, their last loss coming on March 19 against the Detroit Red Wings.
It should be noted that Dobbs now has a save percentage above .900, which is pretty hard to do when suiting up for the Habs. Despite their improved results this season, the Canadiens still allow their opponents to take high-danger chances every game, a situation they will need to address before the playoffs in about two weeks.
As for Caden Guhle, he skated during practice, but the Canadiens are keeping their cards close to their chest in the final stretch of the regular season, which means we’ll have to wait until pregame warm-ups to confirm whether Guhle will be in uniform. If he is unavailable, smooth-skating defenseman Adam Engstrom is expected to once again join the third pairing with Arbor Zekaj.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Coffield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkowski
Alex Newhook* – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Joe Velano – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
Josh Anderson – Philippe Danault – Oliver Kapanen
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jaden Struble- Lane Hutson
Adam Engstrom* – Arbor Zekaj
jacob dobbs
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
Gage Goncalves – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel – Nick Paul – Oliver Bjorkstrand
Zemgus Girgensons – Yanni Gourde – Connor Geecki
Jacob Pelletier – Scott Sabourin – Corey Perry
JJ Moser – Darren Raddish
Ryan McDonagh – Eric Cernak
Emile Lilleberg – Charles-Edouard d’Estous
Andrei Vasilevsky
How to watch Hubs Vs. lightning flash
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, April 9, 2026 will be broadcast on TSN2 and RDS. A full quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote soon
#Potential #playoff #rehearsal
