- Matchup: Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning
- Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
- Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
- Broadcast: ESPN2
- Betting Lines: Canadiens (+160) Lightning (-192)
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The Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6) are set to face off against the Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10) at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday for Game 2 of their first-round series, with Montreal currently leading 1-0. The odds favor Montreal at +160, while Tampa Bay stands at -192. The over/under for this matchup is set at 5.5 goals.
The Montreal Canadiens are riding high after their 4-3 victory in Game 1 against the Lightning, where they spent 14 minutes in the penalty box but capitalized on 3 out of 5 power play opportunities. The Canadiens demonstrated impressive offense, scoring on 4 of their 19 shots.
This season, Montreal’s opponents have been awarded 248 power play opportunities (ranked 8th in the league), converting them into 54 goals. The Canadiens have faced 2,283 shots against them, holding a save percentage of .890. Offensively, Montreal has fired a total of 2,156 shots with a shooting percentage of 12.9%. Even at even strength, they have allowed 197 goals while scoring 223 of their own. They have benefited from 242 power play chances, netting 56 goals for a conversion rate of 23.14%. So far this season, the Canadiens have achieved 106 points, with a points percentage of .646. In total, they have scored 279 goals (7th in the league) and allowed 251 goals against them.
The goaltender for this matchup will be Jakub Dobes. Throughout his career, Dobes boasts 35 quality starts with a .614 quality starts rate. He has a save percentage of .904 in 953 minutes played. Facing 1,627 shots, he has made 1,470 saves while allowing 157 goals, with an average of 2.75 goals against per game. His overall record stands at 36-14-7 across 57 games played.
During Game 1, Tampa Bay secured 5 power play opportunities, scoring 2 goals from those chances, and fired 23 shots on net, resulting in 3 goals.
This season, Tampa Bay has attempted 2,305 shots (15th in the league) and boasts a shooting percentage of 12.41%. They have also allowed 2,188 shots against, achieving an 82.56% penalty kill rate against their opponents’ 258 power play attempts, with a total save percentage of 89.5%. Tampa Bay has had 246 power play chances, converting at a rate of 20.73%. They have netted 235 goals at even strength and 51 goals (15th in the league) on the power play, while allowing 229 goals, consisting of 184 at even strength and 45 while shorthanded. This season, the Lightning have accumulated 286 goals and achieved 106 points, with a points percentage of .646.
In goal for Tampa Bay will be Andrei Vasilevskiy, whose opponents average 2.49 goals per game. He has allowed a total of 1,467 goals throughout his career with a 59.2% quality starts rate and 348 quality starts logged. Vasilevskiy has been a starter in 588 games, accumulating 28,763 minutes on the ice. His career record is 370-178-39, with 598 games played, achieving 16,122 saves from 17,589 shots faced, resulting in a .917 save percentage.
Who will emerge victorious in tonight’s NHL matchup against the spread or on the moneyline?
Prediction: Bet on Montreal (+160)
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