The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning are set to begin their Eastern Conference First Round series today at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. This matchup follows a regular season that saw both teams finish with 106 points, though the Lightning secured home-ice advantage due to more regulation wins.
The intensity between these Atlantic Division rivals is already high. Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble noted that their last game against the Lightning on April 9 had a playoff atmosphere, marked by high energy and physicality. That game saw the Canadiens win 2-1 amidst 126 penalty minutes. "Last time we played was definitely a playoff game, super-energetic, physical," Struble said. "Every game means a lot, but that one just meant more. It'll be a heated series, very competitive. I think we are ready for it". Lightning forward Brandon Hagel echoed this sentiment, saying, "I think it's going to be a really good series," and emphasizing the need to play with emotion and heart.
Goaltending will be a key factor in the series. Montreal's Jakub Dobes (29-10-4, 2.78 GAA,.901 SV%) and Samuel Montembeault will be tested against Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy (39-15-4, 2.31 GAA,.912 SV%) and Jonas Johansson. Key players to watch include Montreal's Nick Suzuki (29 goals, 72 assists) and Cole Caufield (51 goals, 37 assists), along with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, who finished second in the NHL with 130 points.
The Lightning are aiming to reverse a trend of slow starts in recent playoff series, having lost Game 1 in three of their last four playoff appearances. After three straight trips to the Cup Final, winning in 2020 and 2021, they have been eliminated in the first round for the past three seasons. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are looking to build on last year's playoff experience, where they lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals in five games.
