3 Things to Watch: Canadiens at Lightning, Game 7 of Eastern Conference 1st Round

(3A) Canadiens at (2A) Lightning

Eastern Conference First Round, Game 7

Best-of-7 series tied 3-3

6 p.m. ET; The Spot, HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC

TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens will play the 202nd Game 7 in Stanley Cup Playoff history at Benchmark International Arena on Sunday for the right to face the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

There has been very little to separate these teams through the first six games of this best-of-7 series, Each has scored 14 goals. Each is 2-1 on the road. Each game has been decided by one goal. Four have gone to overtime. Only once has a team held more than a one-goal lead, 2-0 by the Canadiens in Game 4 before the Lightning rallied to win 3-2.

"It's been unreal, to be honest," Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel said. "Both teams had 106 points during the regular season coming into this series. They're a really, really good hockey team over there. We're a really, really good hockey team here, so I don't think we expected anything else than what's been going on here.

"They have incredible players. They have everything over there and we have everything over here, so there's no doubt in my mind that's why the series is going the way we expected it to."

There has been at least one Game 7 in the first round in 22 of the past 24 postseasons (including 2026). There were multiple Game 7s in the opening round each year from 2021 to 2025.

This will be the first Game 7 this postseason and the first between the Canadiens and Lightning for the 129th unique Game 7 in NHL playoff history. Tampa Bay is 7-3 in Game 7 and 4-1 at home; Montreal is 15-9 and 7-6 on the road.

"These are the situations you dream of as a kid," Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher said. "We are a confident team. We know if we keep playing the way we have and stick to our structure, we have a good chance to be successful."

Here are three things to watch in Game 7:

1. Dobson game-time decision; Hedman doubtful

Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson will skate in warmups and be a game-time decision. The 25-year-old has been out with an upper-body injury since April 11. He had 47 points (12 goals, 35 assists) during the regular season and was second in the NHL with 188 blocked shots.

Lightning defenseman and captain Victor Hedman stayed on the ice with the scratches following an optional morning skate and is doubtful. He's been practicing with the team for a week and did on-ice work following the skate Sunday. Coach Jon Cooper said prior to Game 6 on Friday that the 35-year-old "would be an option soon" but did not offer any further details.

2. Top line running out of time

This has been a recurring theme throughout the series, but it's time for Montreal's top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to step up.

Neither Slafkovsky nor Caufield has scored a goal at even strength, and Suzuki is still looking for his first goal of the series (five assists). With the chance to advance, the Canadiens' three best forwards during the regular season must translate that production.

3. Net gains

The goaltending battle has been impressive to watch, especially in Game 6 when Jakub Dobes and the Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy were perfect through the first 60 minutes before Tampa Bay scored for a 1-0 overtime victory. Dobes has a 2.19 goals-against average; Vasilevskiy 2.20.

When it comes to experience, Vasilevskiy holds a dramatic edge with 126 postseason games to Dobes' nine. So far, it has not been a factor.

Will it be in Game 7?

Canadiens projected lineup

Cole Caufield -- Nick Suzuki -- Juraj Slafkovsky

Josh Anderson -- Jake Evans -- Ivan Demidov

Alexandre Texier -- Kirby Dach -- Zachary Bolduc

Alex Newhook -- Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson -- Noah Dobson

Kaiden Guhle -- Jayden Struble

Alex Carrier -- Lane Hutson

Jakub Dobes

Jacob Fowler

Scratched: Oliver Kapanen, Joe Veleno, Adam Engstrom

Injured: Patrik Laine (lower body)

Lightning projected lineup

Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Nikita Kucherov

Jake Guentzel -- Brayden Point -- Gage Goncalves

Zemgus Girgensons -- Yanni Gourde -- Nick Paul

Oliver Bjorkstrand -- Dominic James -- Corey Perry

J.J. Moser -- Darren Raddysh

Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak

Charle-Edouard D'Astous -- Emil Lilleberg

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Jonas Johansson

Scratched: Scott Sabourin, Conor Geekie, Max Crozier

Injured: Pontus Holmberg (upper body), Victor Hedman (undisclosed)

Status report

Holmberg was on the ice before an optional skate. The forward hasn't played since April 6.