The Montreal Canadiens look to grab a commanding 2-0 series lead when they battle the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of their 2026 NHL playoff first-round matchup on Tuesday night. Montreal outlasted Tampa Bay 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night in the best-of-seven series opener.
Series Schedule and Game Details
Face-off: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., 7 p.m. ET
Series Score: Canadiens lead 1-0
Team Records and Standings
Montreal Canadiens: 48-24-10 (third in Atlantic Division)
Tampa Bay Lightning: 50-26-6 (second in Atlantic Division)
Montreal is 7-3 over the past 10 games. Tampa Bay is 4-6 over their past 10 games.
Betting Odds
Money Line: Montreal +158 | Tampa Bay -191
Favorite: Lightning -191 (risk $191 to win $100)
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Puck Line: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+133)
SportsLine Projection Model Picks
After 10,000 simulations of Canadiens vs. Lightning, the SportsLine Projection Model is going Over on the total (5.5). The model has returned +550 on top-rated NHL money-line picks this season.
The Over has hit in seven of the last 10 head-to-head meetings between the teams. It also projects 6.3 combined goals between the teams.
Player Projections
Montreal: Cole Caufield (.56 goals, .45 assists) | Goaltender Jakub Dobes (22.3 saves, 2.98 goals allowed)
Tampa Bay: Nikita Kucherov (.51 goals, 1.03 assists) | Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (19.6 saves, 2.92 goals allowed)