Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction & Picks - NHL
USA - NHL
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by Taavi Pailk | in NHL Picks
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are set for another entertaining affair on Tuesday at Benchmark International Arena.
Montreal is looking to grab a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series after shocking Tampa Bay with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1. Juraj Slafkovsky had a special performance, becoming only the 12th player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to score a hat trick with power-play goals.
Overall, Slafkovsky has now managed seven goals and three assists in five games against the Lightning in 2025-25. He’s been incredible in this matchup as Tampa seems incapable of holding the Slovakian talent in check. Slafkovsky’s high-level productivity in this tilt naturally boosts Montreal’s offense.
These teams have very talented scoring lines, setting the stage for another back-and-forth encounter. During the regular season, the Lightning averaged the fourth-most goals per game (3.49), while the Canadiens ranked seventh (3.40).
With Montreal allowing 3.06 goals a night, they have been involved in many high-scoring contests throughout the season. Tampa held a 2.79 goals-against average during the regular season, but with Victor Hedman out of the lineup, the team looks very vulnerable on the penalty kill. Their defense also lost Charle-Edouard D'Astous to injury in Game 1.
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Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens Form
Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens Latest Matches
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Tampa Bay Lightning against Montreal Canadiens : Head to Head (H2H)
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Players list
J. Johansson
A. Vasilevskiy
J. Moser
D. Carlile
E. Lilleberg
R. McDonagh
E. Cernak
D. Raddysh
C. Perry
G. Goncalves
D. James
Y. Gourde
Z. Girgensons
N. Kucherov
B. Hagel
J. Guentzel
N. Paul
S. Sabourin
A. Cirelli
B. Point
J. Dobes
J. Fowler
K. Guhle
J. Struble
L. Hutson
A. Xhekaj
M. Matheson
A. Carrier
C. Caufield
A. Newhook
K. Dach
J. Evans
J. Slafkovsky
Z. Bolduc
O. Kapanen
A. Texier
N. Suzuki
P. Danault
J. Anderson
I. Demidov
Most goals and assists
Tampa Bay Lightning
Montreal Canadiens
C. Caufield
(57 Goals)
N. Suzuki
(84 Assists)
Tampa Bay Lightning - Montreal Canadiens Key Points
- These teams had top-eight offensive records during the regular season, combining for 6.89 goals per game.
- In this matchup, nine of the last 12 games have had over 5.5 goals.
- Since the start of April, six of Tampa Bay’s nine games have finished with six or more goals.
- Montreal has allowed three or more goals in six of the last eight games.
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Our Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction
It was an explosive start to the series on Sunday with a seven-goal playoff thriller, and the attacking players could shine again on Tuesday night. Both sides have high-octane offenses and will be confident in their ability to outscore the opposition.
While the first two head-to-head clashes in 2026 had only eight total goals, things rarely go quietly between these Atlantic Division rivals. Nine of the previous 10 games had finished with more than five goals scored.
Our prediction for Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens: Over 5.5 goals.
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