The Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning have both collected 102 points, and this match could be decisive in determining the top-three positions in the Atlantic Division before the start of the play-offs.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have hit top form by the end of the regular season, winning nine of their last 10 games. This is largely down to their shot conversion, which stands at 13% (the second-best rate in the league). Leaders Nick Suzuki (28+68) and Cole Caufield (39+47) are consistently putting up points, while the young defence led by Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson has become much more disciplined, conceding on average two goals per game over the last 10 fixtures. At home, they have won five of their last six matches, including a recent 5:2 victory here over the strong Carolina Hurricanes.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are fighting for first place in the Eastern Conference, but they have looked poor in recent games. Defeats against the Buffalo Sabres (2:4) and the Ottawa Senators (2:6) exposed problems in their defence in the absence of injured Victor Hedman. Nikita Kucherov is still in contention for the Art Ross Trophy, but over the last three games he has recorded no more than a single point in each (two goals and one assist). Away from home, they have major issues, with eight defeats in their last 12 road games and an average of 4.3 goals conceded over this stretch.
Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
This season the teams have already produced some entertaining games: the visitors were stronger in the first two meetings, but in the most recent head-to-head the hosts claimed a convincing revenge win (4:1). At the moment the advantage is with the hosts: they are fresher, playing at home and have very strong motivation to move ahead of the visitors in the standings. For the visitors this is the third game of a long road trip, which is bound to affect their pace in the closing stages. We expect the hosts to win or draw in a high-scoring match.
