WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE
The Canadiens are holding Hockey Talks Night at the Bell Centre in an effort to continue the conversation and raise awareness about mental health and support organizations that provide help and services to those in need. Throughout the night, fans can watch videos on the topic and read messages of encouragement and support from players. In addition, 5,000 “Bell Let’s Talk” tuques will be distributed before puck drop in sections 117 and 328. Fans at the game should likewise follow the Canadiens Instagram Story for a flash contest in-arena prior to the game.
TEAM COMPARISONS
The Canadiens edged the New York Rangers 5-4 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Sunday. Nick Suzuki extended his home point streak to 11 games – the last Canadiens player to do so was former captain Saku Koivu in 1996-97. Meanwhile, Lane Hutson has points in eight straight games, setting a new franchise record for rookie defensemen. He also tied Barry Beck for the second-longest assist streak by a rookie blue-liner behind only Shayne Gostisbehere (9 GP in 2015-16), according to NHL Public Relations. Rookie netminder Jakub Dobes also posted his fifth win in as many career starts for the Habs. As a whole, the Canadiens’ individual achievements are testament to the team’s success as they hold a 12-3-1 record since December 17. Martin St-Louis' men are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and are only two points behind the Boston Bruins who sit in the last Wild Card spot in the East.
Only three points separate the Habs from the Lightning, who opened a four-game road trip on Monday with a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Tampa Bay, however, has a game in hand on the Habs. Jon Cooper’s contingent will be looking to avenge their 5-2 loss to Montreal over the holiday break, their first loss to the Canadiens since March 2023. Having scored the second-most goals (164) and allowed the eighth-fewest goals (127) in the NHL, the Bolts pose a dual threat on both ends of the ice. They’ve also converted five times on the power play in the past three games.
SEASON SERIES
Dec. 29 @ TBL: 5-2 MTL
Jan. 21 vs. TBL:
Feb. 9 vs. TBL:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
MTL: Patrik Laine has three points (2G, 1A) in his last two outings. He’s a threat on home ice, scoring 10 of his 12 goals at the Bell Centre. The sniper reached the 400-point mark on January 14 and is two games shy from attaining another milestone (500 NHL games). Although he hasn’t faced the Lightning many times in his career, relatively speaking, the Finn has still accumulated 11 points (2G, 9A) in 18 games against the Bolts.
TBL: Nikita Kucherov is tied for second in points and ranks third in assists in the League. He obtained his 600th career assist following a three-point outing on January 18 against Detroit and is on a nine-game point streak (4G, 12A) following Monday’s game. In 37 regular season games against the Canadiens, he has generated 43 points (16G, 27A).
BY THE NUMBERS: BOLTS-HABS
Here’s how the Lightning and Canadiens match up by the numbers:
