3 Things to Watch: Lightning at Canadiens, Game 6 of Eastern 1st Round

(2A) Lightning at (3A) Canadiens

Eastern Conference First Round, Game 6

Montreal leads best-of-7 series 3-2

7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN2, The Spot

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens can advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in five years with a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round at Bell Centre on Friday.

Montreal holds a 3-2 lead in the matchup and can win its first postseason series since 2021 when it defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup semifinal. The Canadiens went on to lose in the Final in five games to the Lightning.

Keep in mind that crowds at Bell Centre were limited to several thousand during that run because of concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As such, the last time Montreal had the chance to clinch a playoff series on home ice with a capacity crowd on hand was June 24, 2015, when they lost 5-1 to the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round. The Canadiens still held a 3-2 lead in that best-of-7 series and went on to eliminate the Senators two days later with a 2-0 victory at Ottawa.

Given that long wait, the players expect the vibe in the already-electric Bell Centre to be off the charts for this one.

“I don’t think many of us have been here for those 11 years but we for sure are hungry to give those fans what they deserve,” Montreal forward Cole Caufield said after the team's morning skate Friday. “It’s a big opportunity, and to do it at home would be pretty special.”

Defenseman Noah Dobson, who has yet to appear in the series because of an upper body injury, was on the ice taking shots at the morning skate but is not expected to play.

Tampa Bay is looking to force a Game 7 for the sixth time in its history, following the 2022 first round, 2015 first round, 2011 conference final, 2011 conference quarterfinal and 2004 Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning have won the series in each scenario except one (in 2011). They are 16-14 (.533) in 30 all-time potential elimination games, the second-highest winning percentage in Stanley Cup Playoffs history (minimum five games played), behind only the New York Islanders (32-25, .561).

Tampa Bay is also trying to avoid a first-round playoff exit for the fourth consecutive season.

“We know it’s going to be loud,” Lightning forward Gage Goncalves said. “It’s our goal to do the things that will silence the crowd.”

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said defenseman Victor Hedman “is going to be an option really soon” but won’t play in Game 6. The Lightning captain last played March 19 before taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.

Here are three things to watch:

1. Tampa’s sluggish starts

Here’s a stat even Cooper was surprised at when informed of it Thursday:

From the Dept. of Slow Starts: The Lightning have gone 20 games without holding a lead after one period, a dry spell that dates all the way back to March 19 -- including two regular-season losses to the Canadiens. 

“It might be a cliche but it’s true," Cooper said. "Chasing the game is more difficult than holding the lead. We all need to be better, including me.”

Getting out of the gates fast will be especially important Friday, given the raucous crowd that will be on hand at Bell Centre. Carrying a lead into the first intermission would be a great way to silence them.

2. To repeat: Montreal's top line needs to perform

It’s a theme that keeps getting repeated, mainly because it’s a significantly relevant one. 

The facts are simple: Montreal’s top line of Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky have yet to score a 5-on-5 goal in the entire series. 

Each of them recorded an NHL career-high point total during the regular season; Caufield had 88 points (NHL career-high 51 goals, 37 assists), Suzuki 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists) and Slafkovsky 73 points (30 goals, 43 assists).

“Thankfully we’ve got some depth scoring and that’s really helped us,” Caufield said.

But how long can the Canadiens keep winning without production from their top scorers at even strength?

This much is certain: Life would be much easier for Montreal if its top players begin to produce. History suggests there is only so long that depth scorers like forwards Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc can carry this team offensively.

3. Don’t let the moment be overwhelming

Given the electricity that will run through the building, the Canadiens will have to manage their emotions and remain committed to their patient game plan. Trying to appease the crowd with an entertaining brand of end-to-end hockey is a recipe for disaster, especially with skilled Lightning players like forwards Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point waiting to lethally pounce as part of a dangerous transition game.

“Stick to what got us here,” Caufield said. “We can’t get caught up in anything else.”

Lightning projected lineup

Brandon Hagel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov

Yanni Gourde -- Anthony Cirelli -- Jake Guentzel

Gage Goncalves -- Dominic James -- Oliver Bjorkstrand

Zemgus Girgensons -- Nick Paul -- Corey Perry

J.J. Moser -- Darren Raddysh

Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak

Charle-Edouard D’Astous -- Emil Lilleberg

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Jonas Johansson

Scratched: Scott Sabourin, Declan Carlile, Conor Geekie, Victor Hedman

Injured: Pontus Holmberg (upper body)

Canadiens projected lineup

Cole Caufield -- Nick Suzuki -- Josh Anderson

Juraj Slafkovsky -- Jake Evans -- Ivan Demidov

Alexandre Texier -- Kirby Dach -- Zachary Bolduc

Alex Newhook -- Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson -- Alexandre Carrier

Kaiden Guhle -- Lane Hutson

Jayden Struble -- Arber Xhekaj

Jakub Dobes

Jacob Fowler

Scratched: Oliver Kapanen, Joe Veleno, Adam Engstrom

Injured: Patrik Laine (lower body), Noah Dobson (upper body)

Status report

D’Astous could return after missing four games with an undisclosed injury; he left the ice with the starters after the morning skate. … Crozier, a defenseman, remained on the ice with the spares and likely will be left out of the lineup after playing the past two games. … Paul took part in the morning skate and is expected to return after he was sidelined by illness for a 3-2 loss in Game 5 on Wednesday.

NHL.com independent correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report