Canadiens ‘confident group’ entering Eastern 1st Round against Lightning

BROSSARD, Quebec -- The past two times the Montreal Canadiens faced the Tampa Bay Lightning, the games possessed intensity usually reserved for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Canadiens won each of those games and are itching to start the Eastern Conference First Round. Game 1 will be held at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Sunday (5:45 p.m. ET; The Spot, HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). Montreal won there 4-1 on Maech 31, then 2-1 at Bell Centre on April 9.

“I mean, the last time we played them, that was definitely a playoff game -- just super energetic,” Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble said after practice Saturday. “Every game means a lot, but that one just felt like it meant more.

“So, it'll be a heated series, very competitive, and I think we're ready for it.”

Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said he felt the excitement at practice before he and his players boarded a flight to Tampa.

“A lot of energy,” St. Louis said. “Confident group, excited … just probably all the feelings you should have this time of the season.”

St. Louis said he was pleased to have four days between Montreal’s regular-season finale, a 4-2 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers, and the postseason opener.

“Oh, yeah, it's great,” he said. “I even like the way the playoff series is spread out right now; I mean, we don't know what to do with all that time. So, we’ve got to take advantage.

“It's that balance between rest and working on things, and we’re going to try to manage that.”

Forward Alex Newhook said the Canadiens must be wary of the Lightning’s ability to attack in waves. Nikita Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists), and Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel each scored more than 35 goals.

“It’s an important part of the series, no doubt,” Newhook said. “I think we know what a lot of those forwards are capable of once they have the puck on the rush and they have space and time. So, it’s important for us and we’re going to be dialed in on that.”

One adjustment St. Louis made to his lineup at practice was reuniting the defense pair of Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier, who will return after missing Montreal’s last nine regular-season games with an upper-body injury. The two have been paired this season after they played together regularly in 2024-25. 

“It’s easy to play with him,” Matheson said. “He plays a very strong game and he can play beside anyone and against anyone. So, he’s a big part of our team and we’re fortunate to have him.”

Carrier is the Canadiens’ only healthy right-shot defenseman with Noah Dobson expected to miss the first round because of an upper-body injury. Lane Hutson will play on the right side with Kaiden Guhle, who was paired with Matheson on Friday, and Struble will play on the third pair with Arber Xhekaj.

“When guys have gone down, we’ve kind of found a way to step up,” Struble said.