TAMPA -- Brendan Gallagher could make his 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut for the Montreal Canadiens in a crucial Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Benchmark International Arena, but Victor Hedman will still be out for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Gallagher, who has yet to play through the first four games of the best-of-7 series, was not on the ice with the scratches on Wednesday morning like he’s been previously in the serious. Forward Oliver Kapanen was, however, a sign that he could be replaced by Gallagher, who is expected to bring energy and sandpaper to the Montreal lineup.
Should Gallagher see his first action in these playoffs, expect him to spend plenty of time creating havoc on the doorstep of Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Canadiens have not done a good job of creating traffic in front of the Tampa Bay goaltender, who Wednesday was named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender along with Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins.
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis wasn’t about to tip his hand regarding any possible lineup changes but did compliment Gallagher for what he brings to the table every time he does dress.
“There’s no doubt that, if he plays, he’s going to give you everything he has,” St. Louis said. “I think he does that every game.”
Forward Zachary Bolduc said Gallagher brings a spark to the team, whether he’s in the lineup or not.
“He’s been in the League and a Montreal Canadien for so many years so it’s fun to have him around,” Bolduc said. “He’s been good, even though he hasn’t had the opportunity to play yet. He’s been talking a lot with us, the younger guys and asking us “What did you see out there?”
“He’s been great. We’ll have to see if he’s in the lineup.”
Hedman, who has not played since March 19 and took a leave of absence from the team on March 25, was in the morning skate for Tampa Bay, but he remains out, coach Jon Cooper said.
Gallagher is one of the few Canadiens who have vast postseason experience, having played 76 playoff games. The Lightning do hold the edge in that category, with forward Nikita Kucherov (156) and Vasilevskiy (124) having extensive experience, but they also have players just getting their first taste of the postseason.
"You talk about experience and yeah we have a core group that's been around, but we've got a huge group...I can go through a list of guys that have never been in this environment,” Cooper said. “So it's hard to say we're extremely experienced. Yeah we have Corey Perry, OK, super experienced. Ryan McDonagh, super experienced. But you look down the line, (Emil) Lilleberg, (Max) Crozier and (Declan) Carlile and (Charle-Edouard) D'Astous and you can go through the list of guys that are just getting their feet wet in the league, let alone the playoffs.
"But I do think that the core has had an ability to calm our guys down when we needed it.”
When a best-of-7 playoff round is tied 2-2, the Game 5 victor goes on to win the series nearly 80 percent of the time (239-62; .79.4 percent). That includes a 150-36 record for the home team and an 89-26 mark for the road team.
