The 2026 NHL playoffs continue on Friday with the first puck drop in an entertaining Eastern Conference series. The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning battle in Game 3 with the series tied 1-1.
Series Recap
Montreal upset Tampa Bay on the road in Game 1, then pushed the Lightning to the brink in Game 2 before defenseman J.J. Moser scored at 12:48 into overtime to help Tampa Bay salvage the split at home.
Game 3 Details
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal
Betting Odds
Money Line: Tampa Bay -121, Canadiens +101
Over/Under: 6
Puck Line: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+199)
Prediction
After 10,000 simulations, the model is going Over on the total (6). The Over has hit in seven of the last 11 head-to-head meetings between the teams, including Game 1 of this series when the teams combined for seven goals.
Player Projections
Montreal: Cole Caufield is projected to record .56 goals and .45 assists. Goaltender Jakub Dobes will make 22.3 saves and allow 2.98 goals.
Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov is projected to score 0.51 goals and 1.03 assists. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy will make 19.6 saves and allow 2.92 goals.
The model projects 6.1 combined goals between the teams, making the Over the value play.