2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference QFs
Game 7: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)
Series tied 3-3
Start time: **6:00 PM EDT / 3:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: Sportsnet+
The official stats say that the Tampa Bay Lightning had a 38-26 advantage in scoring chances at five-on-five and a 22-7 edge in high-danger chances in Game 6, but ...
Are you ready?
We said, Arrrrrrrreeeeeee you reeeeeeaddddddddyyyyyy?
Game 7 is here! Well, almost here. We still have to wait 24 hours for the Lightning and Canadiens to engage in their winner-take-all battle. A few years ago, the Lightning engaged in a Game 7 against the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Finals. Prior to that game we ranked their previous Game 7s based on a completely arbitrary, poorly-thought-out system. Really, it is what we do best.
Since the publ...
Make absolutely no mistakes, Andrei Vasilevskiy was the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth star tonight. We’ll give Gage Goncalves the fifth star for his overtime, game-winning goal, but without the absolute stellar play of the Lightning netminder, this series is over. Vasilevskiy picked up his first shutout of the playoffs as he stopped 30 shots, including a brilliant two-save sequence on Ivan Demidov in the second period. He needed to make every last one of those stops as the Lightning ...
First period
Two early icings by the Lightning and they’re already diving trying to draw a call on the race to the puck. I expect that to be a theme of this game.
A very nice cycling shift for the usual top line of Juraj Slafkovskš, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield to create a scoring chance.
Darren Raddysh wins up a slapshot that hits Jakub Dobeš in the mask, but it falls right into his pads where he can freeze it.
Dobeš gives the puck away behind the net, but Yanni Gourde...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference QFs
Game 6: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)
MTL leads 3-2
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN2 In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: Sportsnet+
Five games have been played in this Eastern Conference Quarter-final, five games have been decided by one goal. Some of the most potent offensive stars on both sides h...
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. Muse was named one of the three finalists for the award, which is the NHL’s annual “Coach of the Year” award, alongside Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. The Penguins were […]
The Toronto Maple Leafs , by all accounts, seem to have settled on their new hockey operations team. However, according to insider Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, MLSE initially had its sights set much higher. James Mirtle in The Athletic had a line about Toronto being turned down to speak to a current general manager. I believe that was Julien BriseBois of the Tampa Bay Lightning. That's who I think they asked permission to speak to, and they were rejected. But of co...
Game Six: Tampa Bay Lightning (2-3) at Montreal Canadiens (3-2)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Centre Bell, Montreal (Saw an excellent Oasis concert there once)
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, ESPN2, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -115
Know the Opponents: Habs Eye on the Prize
Win or go home. It’s that simple. Actually, if you think about it, it’s win and go home as well. It’s just a matter of the mood on the flight back to Tampa. A victory and the Lightni...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference QFs
Game 6: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)
MTL leads 3-2
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN2 In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: Sportsnet+
When the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning met in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the series didn’t need a Game 6. The Canadiens managed just one win, and the series w...
The Montreal Canadiens pulled off another thrilling victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday night, with a 3-2 victory. That is also the margin by which they now lead the tightly-fought first-round series. The set now heads back to the raucous Bell Centre in Montreal for Game 6 tomorrow night and a chance for the Habs to clinch and move on to Round 2. Former NHL head coach, currently TSN Hockey analyst, Bruce Boudreau , gives us his 3 Keys to Victory for the Canadiens to wrap...
Alexandre Texier scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Jakub Dobes made 38 saves in the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena on Wednesday. Brendan Gallagher and Kirby Dach also scored for the Canadiens, who took a 3-2 lead in the series. Dominic James scored his first career playoff goal and Jake Guentzel also tallied for the Lightning.
Dan Vlader stopped 42 shots for his second shutout...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Juraj Slafkovský is too nice on the ice and the Tampa Bay Lightning are using that to their advantage. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Given what we’ve seen so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, should the Canadiens have bought during the trade deadline? [ Journal de Montreal ]
The Canadiens are exploring options for a Game 6 outdoor watch party after safety concerns led to the removal of barricades. [ CBC ]
Veterans will have to help keep emotions...
The Tampa Bay Lightning battled back from one goal deficits twice against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of their first round series. Unfortunately, they couldn’t answer Alexandre Texier’s early third-period goal as Jakub Dobes made 17 of his 38 saves in the final frame to preserve a 3-2 Montreal win. The series heads back to Montreal with the Lightning facing elimination on Friday.
The too-long-didn’t-read version of the game is that Montreal scored all of the big momentum goals. Th...
First period
They wanted to have towels for the fans to make Benchmark International Arena like the Bell Centre. You can hear a pin drop moments after the opening puck drop.
Well, that’s exactly what Martin St-Louis was hoping for when he inserted Brendan Gallagher into the lineup: charge at the net and clean up a rebound. It’s Newhook’s rebound after he got onto his own wide shot, leaving an empty cage for the veteran to hit.
Montreal had as many high-danger chan...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference QFs
Game 5: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)
Series tied 2-2
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN2 In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: Sportsnet+
The first personnel change has been made by Martin St-Louis in the series. The move is to give Brendan Gallagher his first playoff game of the season at the expense of Oliv...
Game Five: Montreal Canadiens (2-2) at Tampa Bay Lightning (2-2)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
TV/Stream/Radio: The Spot, ESPN2, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -160
Know the Opponents: Habs Eye on the Prize
Prior to this series starting one of the things that perplexed us here at Raw Charge Worldwide Incorporated was the overwhelming notion by some, either national media or on social media, that the Lightning ...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference QFs
Game 5: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)
Series tied 2-2
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN2 In the Lightning region: The Spot Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
Through the first three games of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, the Habs had held their opponent to eight high-danger chances at ...
In the NHL playoffs Tuesday night, the two trailing teams won to extend their series, while Minnesota broke the 2-2 tie to pull ahead of Dallas, 3-2. But before that, a bit of Islanders fodder… Islanders News NHL Playoffs Tonight, someone will take a 3-2 lead in the Lightning-Canadiens series, while the Penguins will look […]
With the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning deadlocked at two wins apiece after four games, the series has become the talk of NHL circles as not just the most entertaining and fiery series of the first round, but possibly the most even series in recent memory.
The teams boasted 106 points each in the regular season, though if you looked under the hood you would see a sizable gap in the ability to consistently control play, favouring Tampa Bay. Yet the series has reflected much clo...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Martin St-Louis must contemplate changes to spark the top six. [ Sportsnet ]
The Habs focus on flipping the script for Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. [ Montreal Gazette ]
Can the Canadiens’ youthful skill overcome the Lightning’s experience in a best-of-three? [ Montreal Gazette ]
Montreal must control their emotions, even in the face of a storm. [ RDS ]
Jakub Dobeš maximizes his strengths through fearless aggression. [ The ...
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has officially been selected as a finalist for the 2026 Ted Lindsay Award. The award is presented annually to the player who is deemed “most outstanding” as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association. San Jose Sharks sophomore Macklin Celebrini and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov were…
Nothing about this series between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning has been easy on anyone involved. The intensity has made it an absolute grind for the players, and I think I can speak on behalf of most fans when I say that these games have had me chewing my nails down to the quick. It just might be the best first-round series in the league, and it shouldn’t come as much surprise that it has turned into a best-of-three, with both teams now having taken a game in the other’s barn...
Following their 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, the Tampa Bay Lightning were a little more relaxed in their post-game interviews. Coach Jon Cooper in particular was in a good mood, especially when talking about the penalties and his reactions.
Jon Cooper
On Max Crozier – “He has that in his game. That’s why Cro is in the league. Not necessarily all those hits, but he has that in the game. He’s a big-time gamer.”
On shuffling the lines – “We’re getting mass pro...
Two things happened on Sunday night that hadn’t happened in the series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. In a series that was tied for 71% of the time through the first three games, and within a goal the other 29%, a team finally built a multi-goal lead as the Canadiens were up 2-0 in the second period. Second, it ended in regulation as Brandon Hagel’s second goal of the third period gave the Lightning the lead that they would hold on to despite a late 6-on-4 power play f...
First period
A bruising shift from Phillip Danault’s line starts things off.
The Lightning almost get handed the first goal when Mike Matheson is stripped of the puck as he tries to cut through the front of his own net. Jakub Dobeš has to make a toe save on a point-blank chance.
The Habs are having trouble staying out of their own way in the series, just taking a too many men penalty to give the Lightning a power play.
The penalty is killed, and the crowd is loud once aga...