Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/21/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Venue:  Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL 

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +160, Lightning -192; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +160, Lightning -190; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +155, Lightning -190; Over/Under:  6 goals

Montreal Canadiens:  48-24-10 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

Tampa Bay Lightning:  50-26-6 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Harry Gagnon is on a HOT STREAK in the NHL on an 18-10 NHL RUN for +$8,030 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Montreal Canadiens:  7-3-0 last 10

Tampa Bay Lightning:  4-5-1 last 10

The Canadiens are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 48-24-10 record overall, and they were 24-9-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, winning that one on the road 4-3 in overtime. Juraj Slafkovský led the team in goals scored with 3 as he recorded the hattrick while Josh Anderson scored 1 goal for them in that one. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki each led the team in assists with 2 while Juraj Slafkovský led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 23 shots with 20 saves and a .870 save percentage. Their offense has scored 283 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 256 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The Lightning are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 50-26-6 record overall, and they were 26-14-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, losing that one at home 4-3 in OT. Brandon Hagel led the team in goals scored with 2 while Darren Raddysh scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jake Guentzel led the team in assists with 3 while Darren Raddysh led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 19 shots with 15 saves and a .789 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 290 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 231 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Lightning listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with their 48-24-10 record overall which had them in the top half of their division in the East. They have been a great road team too with their 24-9-8 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Lightning have looked good in their games this season with their 50-26-6 record overall which had them right near the top of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 26-14-1 home record this season. This is game 2 of a 7-game series between the 2nd seeded Lightning and the 3rd seeded Canadiens in the Atlantic for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Canadiens are entering this game with a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 by a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Canadiens took an early lead in that game and then let it go really quickly once the Lightning scored their 1st goal, but they battled back and ended up getting the win in OT. That was a really back-and-forth game though and the Lightning aren't going to take that tight loss at home lightly. The Lightning have looked a lot better on home ice this season so they are going to have an answer to that loss. They didn't have the best effort from their goaltender either, but that will correct itself with one of the best goalies in the NHL. The Canadiens have flipped the home advantage now, so they aren't going to have the same intensity as a Lightning team that is looking to avoid going down 2-0 at home in the series. Look for the Lightning to bring their best effort in this one and play with some desperation to get themselves back on level terms. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lightning to win this game and on the puckline.

Canadiens Lightning Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, April 21, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Lightning 5 Canadiens 2.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay Lightning prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.

Montreal Canadiens: 71-75 (+21 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 60-64 (+8.7 units) on the moneyline after playing a road game. 26-30 (+14.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 25-14 OVER after playing a road game.

Tampa Bay Lightning: 144-113 (-11.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 2-9 (-7.9 units) on the moneyline in the first round of the playoffs. 137-107 (-9.3 units) on the moneyline against mistake free teams - opponents average 4 power plays/game or less. 8-3 OVER in the first round of the playoffs.

Montreal Canadiens:  N. Dobson (D) Out - Thumb. P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen.

Tampa Bay Lightning:  P. Holmberg (RW) Out - Upper-Body. V. Hedman (D) Out - Personal. 

“His style of play and energy and speed and physicality is perfect for playoff hockey. He had a big night for us.” - Nick Suzuki after their win against the Lightning in the 1st game of this series on Sunday.

“We took four offensive zone penalties. That wasn't over-aggression. That was stupidity. This is the Stanley Cup playoffs. This isn't game 62. That's extremely disappointing.” - Jon Cooper after his team’s loss against the Canadiens in game 1 of this series on Sunday. 

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Alexandre Carrier

G Jakub Dobes

LW Gage Goncalves

C Brayden Point

RW Nikita Kucherov

LD Janis Jérôme Moser

RD Darren Raddysh

G Andrei Vasilevskiy

Points: Nick Suzuki (101)

Goals: Cole Caufield (51)

Assists: Nick Suzuki (72)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.43)

Points: Nikita Kucherov (130)

Goals: Nikita Kucherov (44)

Assists: Nikita Kucherov (86)

GAA: Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.31)

Coaches:

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)

Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (14th season)