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The Montreal Canadiens will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of their playoff series on Friday at 7 pm ET. This game presents a crucial opportunity for the Canadiens to gain home-ice advantage.
Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
The Montreal Canadiens (1-1) will face the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-1) in Game 3 on Friday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
With the series returning to Montreal, the Habs will have a fantastic opportunity to gain home-ice advantage, via a little help from their friends at the Bell Centre. Of course, you have to win four games to win the series, but any time an underdog manages to gain a 2-1 advantage in a first-round series, they improve their odds of emerging victorious significantly.
And while some may have gotten the impression the Lightning have been the much better team in the first two games of the series, the numbers suggest a very interesting split.
The Lightning have done a great job controlling the shots, but the Canadiens have dominated the high-danger scoring chances at 5v5, to the tune of 18-7.
If the Canadiens can continue to focus on hockey, while somehow ignoring the constant greasy hockey offered by Tampa Bay, they should be in great shape, all things considered.
They’ll also need their first line to wake up and start producing at 5v5, which would be facilitated by keeping Nick Suzuki and Company away from Brandon Hagel’s line.
As for the defencemen, the third pairing of Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj in the playoffs, while the top four has struggled to find its rhythm. Reuniting and , while pairing Alexander Carrier with , may be the best way forward for the Canadiens and the individuals, as they’ve shown they can produce encouraging statistics with the recommended partners in the past.
Game 3 is scheduled to start at 7 pm ET.
Winning Game 3 would give the Canadiens a 2-1 series lead, significantly improving their odds of winning the series.
Game 3 will be played at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
The series is currently tied at 1-1.
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Speaking of Xhekaj, he’s excited to bring the fun back to Montreal, especially given the physical tone of the series.
“I’ll be honest,” he explained. “For physical guys like Anderson, Struble, and me, the energy from the playoff crowd in Montreal is a huge plus. I woke up with a smile this morning. The entire province is locked in. It’s going to be an incredible night!”
Neither team will announce any major changes until puck drop, but there was some relatively interesting news at Canadiens practice.
Several players were missing, including Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook, and Josh Anderson.
Most are expected to play on Friday night, but there is a chance we may end up seeing a new face in the lineup, with Joe Veleno serving as the most likely back-up plan in Montreal.
Patrik Laine is still listed as injured, and will not be available to the Habs, but there is a possibility we may see veteran Brendan Gallagher given a few shifts. His truculent style of play would fit well in this series, as long as he manages to keep his emotions in check as he deals with the constant provocations from the Lightning.
Alexandre Texier – Alex Newhook – Ivan Demidov
Jake Evans – Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson
Mike Matheson – Alexander Carrier
Kaiden Guhle – Lane Hutson
Jayden Struble – Arber Xhekaj
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Nikita Kucherov
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Friday, April 24, 2026, will be aired on CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
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