| MATCHUP | Montreal Canadiens | Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 48-24-10 | 50-26-6 |
| Spread | +1.5 -180 | -1.5 150 |
| Moneyline | +142 | -170 |
| Total | Over 5.5 (-118) | Under 5.5 (-102) |
| Where | Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL | |
| When | Wednesday, April 29, 2026 | |
| Time | 07:00 PM EDT | |
| TV | ESPN2 | |
Tampa Bay Lightning Preview
The Lightning finished the regular season with 106 points with a 50-26-6 record and were placed 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They have a 26-14-1 home record and are coming off a 3-2 road win over the Canadiens. Their previous three games were a 2-3 road overtime loss, a 3-2 home overtime win, and a 3-4 home overtime loss against the Canadiens.
Offensively, the Lightning are averaging 3.49 goals per game and are scoring 20.7% of their power play opportunities. Defensively, they are allowing 2.79 goals per game and are killing 82.6% of their opponent’s power plays.
Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 130 points and 44 goals, adding a team-high 86 assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the starting goalie for the Lightning, and he has a 39-15-4 record, with 2.31 GAA and .912 SV%. Jonas Johansson is the backup goalie and he has a 11-10-2 record, with 3.29 GAA and .884 SV%.
Montreal Canadiens Preview
The Canadiens finished the regular season with 106 points with a 48-24-10 record and were placed 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They have a 24-9-8 road record and are coming off a 2-3 home loss to the Lightning. Their previous three games were a 3-2 home overtime win, a 2-3 road overtime loss, and a 4-3 road overtime win over the Lightning.
Offensively, the Canadiens are averaging 3.40 goals per game and are scoring 23.1% of their power play opportunities. Defensively, they are allowing 3.06 goals per game and are killing 78.2% of their opponent’s power plays.
Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 101 points and 72 assists, while Cole Caufield leads the team in goals with 51. Jakub Dobes is the starting goalie for the Canadiens, and he has a 29-10-4 record, with 2.78 GAA and .901 SV%. Samuel Montembeault is the backup goalie and he has a 10-8-4 record, with 3.43 GAA and .872 SV%.
Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends: April 29, 2026
Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win
- The Lightning have won each of their last six games against the Canadiens following a road win.
- The Canadiens have lost 16 of their last 20 games at Benchmark International Arena.
- The Lightning have won the second period in each of their last four games as home favorites following a road win.
Why the Montreal Canadiens will win
- The Canadiens have won 12 of their last 13 games as underdogs following a loss.
- The Lightning have lost three of their last four Game 5s of an Eastern Conference First Round series.
- The Canadiens have covered the puck line in each of their last 29 games as underdogs.
- The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 10 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 Lightning’s last six games as favorites following a road win have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Each of the Canadiens’ last four road games against the Lightning following a loss have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Five of the last six night games between two teams from the Atlantic Division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Canadiens’ last eight games following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last eight games following a road win.
Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts
- Brandon Hagel has scored at least one goal in each of his last five appearances against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Jake Guentzel has recorded at least one assist in each of the Lightning’s last four games.
- Nikita Kucherov ranks T1st in the league for multi-assist games (25) this season.
Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts
- Juraj Slafkovsky has scored at least one goal in five of the Canadiens’ last six road games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Cole Caufield has recorded at least one assist in nine of his last 10 road appearances against Atlantic Division 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).
Canadiens vs Lightning Prediction
Both teams are tied 5-5 in their last 10 meetings and are 2-2 in their last 4 meetings in Tampa. Under is 5-1 in their last 6 meetings.
In this Canadiens vs Lightning Prediction, the Lightning are coming as -170 home favorites. Both teams are tied 2-2 in this series and the Lightning have already won once at home but I doubt they will lose another one. The winner of this game goes to three wins and will put the other team in the verge of elimination and the Lightning are too good of a team to allow this to happen in front of their home crowd. I expect another hard-fought grinding battle, but with the home side prevailing in the end. Take the Lightning on the moneyline.