Montréal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL game between the Montréal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Apr 21, 2026. Final score: Montréal Canadiens 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Apr 21, 2026 |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena |
| Series | R1 Game 2: TBL 1-1 MTL |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 2 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22:43 | 0.06 | 1.43 |
| 2nd | Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23:52 | 0.49 | 0.91 |
| 3rd | Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21:26 | 0.17 | 0.89 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Montréal Canadiens–Tampa Bay Lightning) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 08:40 | TBL | Brandon Hagel | Jake Guentzel, Erik Cernak | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 16:11 | MTL | Lane Hutson | Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield | 4v5 | 1–1 |
| 2nd 18:36 | MTL | Josh Anderson | Phillip Danault, Jake Evans | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 3rd 12:33 | TBL | Nikita Kucherov | Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| OT 12:48 | TBL | J.J. Moser | Anthony Cirelli | 5v5 | 2–3 |
Team Comparison
| Montréal Canadiens | Tampa Bay Lightning | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 27 | 34 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.95 | 3.63 |
| High-danger shots | 7 | 15 |
| Corsi % | 41.2% | 58.8% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 48.0% | 52.0% |
| Hits | 43 | 34 |
| Blocks | 25 | 15 |
| Giveaways | 20 | 15 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 5 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18:38 | 0.34 | 0.89 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 17:21 | 0.57 | 0.85 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 32:00 | 0.38 | 0.80 |
| Jake Evans | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16:37 | 0.12 | 0.79 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25:08 | 0.91 | 0.74 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:50 | 0.25 | 0.74 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27:18 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:04 | 0.24 | 0.15 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:37 | 0.14 | 0.15 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:02 | 0.97 | 0.15 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:57 | 0.00 | 0.15 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 26:24 | 0.19 | 0.05 |
| Jayden Struble | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:05 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:41 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:53 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 28:47 | 0.31 | -0.10 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:05 | 0.05 | -0.30 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25:33 | 0.48 | -0.32 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 22:43 | 0.06 | 1.43 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 23:52 | 0.49 | 0.91 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21:26 | 0.17 | 0.89 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 29:14 | 0.17 | 0.85 |
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 23:22 | 0.41 | 0.60 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 25:10 | 0.53 | 0.49 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:54 | 0.04 | 0.30 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:31 | 0.03 | 0.20 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19:58 | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| Scott Sabourin | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:20 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:06 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21:34 | 0.36 | 0.05 |
| Dominic James | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:25 | 0.28 | 0.00 |
| Declan Carlile | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:38 | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| Nick Paul | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13:32 | 0.15 | -0.05 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27:28 | 0.15 | -0.10 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18:41 | 0.37 | -0.20 |
| Corey Perry | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:49 | 0.10 | -0.25 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 31 | 34 | 91.2% | -1.46 | L |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 25 | 27 | 92.6% | -0.29 | W |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montréal Canadiens 3–2 on Apr 21, 2026, a one-goal game.
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 3.63 expected goals to Montréal Canadiens's 4.95 — Montréal Canadiens owned the better of the chances but Tampa Bay Lightning took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Anthony Cirelli led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.43 on 2 assists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Montréal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montréal Canadiens 3–2 on Apr 21, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Montréal Canadiens 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Anthony Cirelli led all skaters at 1.43, on 0G, 2A and 0 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 3.63 expected goals and Montréal Canadiens generated 4.95, so Montréal Canadiens created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Montréal Canadiens put 27 shots on goal and Tampa Bay Lightning put 34. High-danger chances went 7 to 15.