| MATCHUP | Montreal Canadiens | Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 48-24-10 | 50-26-6 |
| Spread | +1.5 -155 | -1.5 130 |
| Moneyline | +160 | -192 |
| Total | Over 5.5 (-130) | Under 5.5 (110) |
| Where | Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL | |
| When | Tuesday, April 21, 2026 | |
| Time | 07:00 PM EDT | |
| TV | ESPN2 | |
The Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet Tuesday in NHL action from the Benchmark International Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning prediction.
Montreal Canadiens Recap
The Montreal Canadiens come into this game looking to add on to their 4-3 OT win over the Lightning in game one to start the series with a road win.
Canadiens Looking For 2-0 Stranglehold
Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 101 points including 29 goals and 72 assists while Cole Caufield has 88 points with a team-high 51 goals and 37 assists. Lane Hutson has 78 points with 66 assists while Ivan Demidov has 62 points with 19 goals and 43 assists. Noah Dobson has 47 points with 35 assists and Mike Matheson has 37 points with 7 goals and 30 assists. Oliver Kapanen has 37 points with 22 goals and 15 assists while Zack Bolduc has 30 points with 12 goals and 18 assists. Juraj Slafkovsky also has 73 points with 30 goals and 43 assists. Sam Montembault has gone 10-8-4 with a 3.43 GAA and an .872 save percentage in goal for the Canadiens while Jakub Dobes is 29-10-4 with a 2.78 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Jacob Fowler is also 8-6-2 with a 2.52 GAA and an .904 save percentage for the Habs this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recap
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game looking to bounce back from their loss at the hands of the Canadiens to start the series.
Lightning Looking To Even Up Series
Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 130 points including 44 goals and 86 assists while Brandon Hagel has 74 points with 36 goals and 38 assists and Jake Guentzel has 88 points with 38 goals and 50 assists. Anthony Cirelli has 52 points with 23 goals and 29 assists. Darren Raddysh has also added 70 points with 22 goals and 48 assists as well on the year. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone 39-15-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a .912 save percentage while Jonas Johansson is 11-10-2 with a 3.29 GAA and an .884 save percentage this season. Check out another game on Tuesday night between the Sabres and Bruins.
Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends: April 21, 2026
Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win
- The Lightning have won each of their last seven games against the Canadiens after coming off overtime.
- The Canadiens have lost each of their last five games at Benchmark International Arena against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Canadiens have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four games following a road win.
- The Lightning have covered the puck line in three of their last four games after coming off overtime.
- The Lightning have won the third period in each of their last four games after coming off overtime.
Why the Montreal Canadiens will win
- The Canadiens have won each of their last 10 games as underdogs after coming off overtime.
- The Lightning have lost each of their last five Game 2s of a playoff series.
- The Canadiens have covered the puck line in each of their last 26 games as underdogs.
- The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games.
- The Canadiens have won the second period in each of their last eight games as underdogs when trailing after the first period.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Canadiens’ last four road games against opponents on a losing streak have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Six of the last seven games between the Canadiens and Lightning at Benchmark International Arena have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Five of the last six games between two teams from the Atlantic Division have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last 10 home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Canadiens’ last eight road games against the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts
- Jake Guentzel has scored at least one goal in eight of the Lightning’s last nine Tuesday home games.
- Ryan McDonagh has recorded an assist in each of his last five appearances in home games.
- Nikita Kucherov ranks T1st in the league for multi-assist games (25) this season.
Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts
- Juraj Slafkovsky has scored the first goal in four of the Canadiens’ last five road games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Juraj Slafkovsky has scored at least one goal in seven of the Canadiens’ last eight games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Nick Suzuki has recorded at least one assist in nine of the Canadiens’ last 10 games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Cole Caufield ranks 1st in the league for Game Winning Goals (12) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 3rd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.79).
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 3rd in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (82.56%).
- The Montreal Canadiens rank 7th in the league for goals per game this season (3.40).
- The Montreal Canadiens are one of only three teams with two or more players to record at least 60 assists this season (Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson).
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
I’m on the Lightning here. Montreal showed no backing down in game one, but I still think that this is going to be a longer series and over the years, it hasn’t been wise to fade the Lightning off of a loss in the postseason as this is a veteran group that normally responds well. I think Tampa Bay bounces back and gets the win here so give me Tampa Bay.