Lightning Look to Bounce Back in Montreal

The Lightning continue a four game road trip with a conference matchup against the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Tampa Bay (25-17-3) aims to get back on track against a familiar foe after losing 5-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A Confusing Start

The Lightning take this road trip in stride, coming off a 3-2-1 stretch in their last six games, where both losses coming against conference opponents. The latest defeat saw Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies net two as he reached seven goals and 13 points in eight career games against the Lightning. Tampa Bay was down 3-1 at the end of the second period after a slow start, a common denominator found in most of their games thus far.

Nick Paul, who did not like the way his team started this game: “We put ourselves behind. We had a good second period and they just ended up scoring more than we did, especially at the end of the period, it’s hard. We pushed back. We put ourselves back in that game and that's all…

— Gabby Shirley (@Gabby_Shirley_) January 21, 2025

The offensive slump to start games is slightly concerning, but not a commentary on the overall power of Tampa Bay’s offense. The Lightning rank second in the NHL in goals with 164 and first in goals per game at 3.64, being one of the most potent scoring units in the league. The team also ranks in the top 10 in both power play percentage and penalty kill percentage, leaving one question: “How do you fix the team’s poor performance?”

In order to fix its record, Tampa Bay must start picking up wins against conference opponents. The Lightning have struggled to do that this year with a 3-7 record in divisional matchups. The Lightning sit at third in the Atlantic Division standings and are only one point up on the fourth place Ottawa Senators, making every conference matchup especially important. Tampa Bay is only 10 games away from the 4 Nations Faceoff , hoping to notch some key victories and stay comfortably in a playoff position going into the break.

An Important Matchup

Luckily, the Bolts have a chance to right the ship on the rest of the road trip, beginning with the Canadiens (23-19-4). Montreal, which stands at sixth in the Atlantic Division, took the first meeting between the two teams 5-2 on December 29th. However, the Lightning have the Canadiens’ number, as they won all four matchups against Montreal last year and are 13-2-1 in their meetings since the 2019-20 season. Similarly, Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is 15-2-2 all time against the Canadiens with a .935 save percentage, suggesting a strong performance is brewing for the former Vezina Trophy winner.

Team rosters and stats ahead of tonight's game between the Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS). #Habs #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/izyrdx5YPd

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) January 21, 2025

Montreal is fighting for a playoff spot itself, landing only two points out of a Wild Card spot and three points behind the Lightning. The Canadiens, having won the first meeting, could look back to this faceoff if they find themselves battling the Lightning for the final Divisional or Wild Card spot, with a head to head victory being a huge advantage. Montreal will rely on 28 year old goaltender Samuel Montembeault to stonewall the Lightning once more. Montembeault, in his sixth year in the MLB, has had an up and down season, boasting the fourth most shutout victories while holding the 40th ranked GAA at 2.98.

If the Bolts want to come away with a victory, they’ll need to focus on scoring early and feeding their two 20+ goal scoring centers in Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel. The Lightning will also need a fortified blue-line defense and another masterful performance from their star goaltender to stop the streaking Canadiens.

What’s Next

The matchup can be found on Fanduel Sports Network Florida or ESPN+ with coverage starting at 6:30 pm.

The Lightning will continue their road trip by traveling to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Friday at 8 p.m.