The Montreal Canadiens (27-36-6) will look to regroup against the resurgent Tampa Bay Lightning (41-22-6) on Saturday night at Amalie Arena. The delivery of the disc is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
The Canadiens will quickly look to bounce back from their 9-5 loss to the florida panthers on Thursday when they take on their other Florida-based rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This encounter will be the first leg of a home-to-home matchup between the two teams, and you can expect it to quickly turn into a heated affair.
After allowing more than 21 goals in their last three games, the Canadiens’ defensive structure has seemingly collapsed down the stretch.
However, they will have to do it without Kaiden Guhle, as the Canadiens confirmed that the 21-year-old is injured and will not be able to play in tonight’s game. Chris Wideman is expected to replace him in the lineup.
Jonathan DrouinHe is expected to play, who was sent back to the hotel yesterday for being late for a team meeting; given Guhle’s injury.
Return to basic
Coach martin st louis he’s talked about wanting to get back on the game plan and focus on playing his game in his own zone; instead of chasing the opponents from him.
The real question, for the first time this season, will be whether the Canadiens’ goaltending duo jake allen and Samuel Montembeault can bounce.
Montembeault will get his first chance to right the ship tonight as he is expected to start against the Lightning.
On a more positive note, there has also been a sudden increase in the goals the Canadiens are scoring as well, as they have registered 15 goals in their last three games.
Leading the charge has been the veteran striker joseph andersonwho is on pace to reach 26 goals for the first time since his outstanding 27-goal performance in 2018-2019.
The 28-year-old forward has taken a big step lately by providing the Canadiens with timely offense when needed, but also diversifying his game by adding more of a game drive aspect to his game.
He currently leads the Canadiens offensively over the past five games with three goals and two assists and continues to be a strong veteran locker room presence.
defensively, mike mateson is having a remarkable offensive season.
His offensive production of seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 35 games has been impressive; as that translates to a pace of 54 points in an 82-game season.
He leads all Canadiens defensemen in offense and average ice time, despite missing 34 games this season with lower-body injuries.
Ray
Things seemed to be going downhill for the Tampa Bay Lightning after losing five straight games in early March.
Head coach Jon Cooper was benching his star players, and Victor Hedman was injured; things looked bleak.
And then, as Tampa Bay always seems to do, they found a way out of their late-season slump and are back to their winning ways.
A big reason for that has been Brayden Point’s underrated offensive performance this season.
The 27-year-old has scored 43 goals and 37 points for 80 points in just 69 games this season; him leading Rayo in goal scoring by a margin of 14 goals.
On the defensive end, Mikhail Sergachev has risen to the occasion to take a more prominent role on offense for the Lightning with Hedman returning to the lineup.
The 24-year-old has registered seven assists in his last five games. However, his recent offensive outburst is nothing new, as he has seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points in just 67 games this season.
It’s been a big year for Sergachev, who has taken on more responsibilities with the departure of Ryan McDonaugh, and is apparently thriving in his new role.
After a strong series of games of late, the Lightning decided to give Andrei Vasilevski the night off, instead choosing veteran Brian Elliott to back up the club against the Canadiens.
Now that the Lightning have returned to winning ways, they are considered a -340 favorite in tonight’s game based on recent data. NHL betting odds.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game:
Montreal Canadians Injuries
- Kaiden Guhle (injured)
- Joel Armia (Day by Day)
- Kirby Dach (out indefinitely)
- Christian Dvorak (Injured substitute)
- Brendan Gallagher (Injured Reserve)
- Jake Evans (Injured Reserve)
- Arber Xhekaj (Wounded Reserve)
- Juraj Slafkovsky (Injured substitute)
- Cole Caufield (Injured Reserve)
- Sean Monahan (LTIR)
- Carey Price (LTIR)
- Paul Byron (LTIR)
Lightning Injuries in Tampa Bay
Previous lineup of the Montreal Canadiens
| L.W. | C. | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Harvey-Pinard | nick suzuki | jesse ylonen |
| mike hoffman | Alex Belzile | Rem Pitlick |
| Denis Gurianov | Chris Tierney | joseph anderson |
| Michael Pezzetta | antonio ricardo | Jonathan Drouin |
| RD | DR |
|---|---|
| mike mateson | david savard |
| joel edmundson | justin barron |
| chris wideman | jonathan kovacevic |
| Goalie |
|---|
| Samuel Montembeault |
| jake allen |
Tampa Bay Lightning projected lineup
Hagel-Point-Kucherov
Killorn-Cirelli-Jeannot
Colton-Stamkos-Paul
Garnet-Pierre-Édouard-Perry
Defending:
Hedman-Perbix
Sergachev-Raddysh
Cole Cernak
Goalkeepers:
elliott
Vasilevsky
Special teams
| Equipment | PP % | PACKAGE % |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadians | 16.3% (30th) | 72.5% (30th) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 25.5% (2nd) | 79.8% (15th) |
How to see or listen
TELEVISION
TVA Sports, Sportsnet, BSSUNX
Radio
Montreal Canadians: TSN 690 – 98.5FM
*For more NHL futures and bet lines, go to FanDuel
