Tampa Bay Lightning at Montréal Canadiens
NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montréal Canadiens on Apr 24, 2026. Final score: Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Montréal Canadiens 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Venue | Centre Bell |
| Series | R1 Game 3: TBL 1-2 MTL |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 2 |
| Montréal Canadiens 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 | Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10:40 | 0.04 | 1.63 |
| 2nd | Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 0 | 2 | 24:58 | 0.35 | 1.51 |
| 3rd | Lane Hutson | D | 1 | 0 | 2 | 26:40 | 0.11 | 1.47 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Tampa Bay Lightning–Montréal Canadiens) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:53 | MTL | Alexandre Texier | Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 07:42 | TBL | Brayden Point | Jake Guentzel, Nikita Kucherov | 4v5 | 1–1 |
| 2nd 04:47 | TBL | Brandon Hagel | — | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 12:43 | MTL | Kirby Dach | Arber Xhekaj | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| OT 02:09 | MTL | Lane Hutson | Alexandre Texier, Zachary Bolduc | 5v5 | 2–3 |
Team Comparison
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Montréal Canadiens | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 17 | 29 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.76 | 3.34 |
| High-danger shots | 3 | 11 |
| Corsi % | 49.0% | 51.0% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 54.2% | 45.8% |
| Hits | 31 | 36 |
| Blocks | 14 | 19 |
| Giveaways | 9 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 8 | 3 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 24:58 | 0.35 | 1.51 |
| Declan Carlile | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:20 | 0.26 | 0.99 |
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20:35 | 0.38 | 0.87 |
| Brayden Point | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18:22 | 0.07 | 0.77 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:52 | 0.32 | 0.68 |
| Nick Paul | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:58 | 0.07 | 0.37 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:27 | 0.02 | 0.35 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:04 | 0.16 | 0.25 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26:17 | 0.31 | 0.24 |
| Dominic James | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:20 | 0.54 | 0.21 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25:27 | 0.34 | 0.21 |
| Corey Perry | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:32 | 0.44 | 0.12 |
| Scott Sabourin | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:44 | 0.27 | 0.08 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24:17 | 0.13 | 0.03 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:08 | 0.00 | -0.58 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:18 | 0.02 | -0.62 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:12 | 0.00 | -0.98 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:54 | 0.07 | -1.18 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10:40 | 0.04 | 1.63 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26:40 | 0.11 | 1.47 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11:29 | 0.63 | 1.29 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12:19 | 0.30 | 1.15 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:08 | 0.11 | 0.94 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11:32 | 0.22 | 0.93 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:37 | 0.29 | 0.77 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:51 | 0.03 | 0.57 |
| Jayden Struble | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:58 | 0.00 | 0.55 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:11 | 0.12 | 0.45 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:44 | 0.00 | 0.27 |
| Jake Evans | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:18 | 0.10 | 0.23 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:25 | 0.03 | 0.19 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:35 | 0.00 | 0.14 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:51 | 0.34 | 0.07 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:32 | 0.63 | 0.03 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:18 | 0.16 | -0.09 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24:36 | 0.23 | -0.65 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 26 | 29 | 89.7% | 0.32 | L |
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 15 | 17 | 88.2% | 1.76 | W |
Analysis
The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 on Apr 24, 2026, a one-goal game.
Montréal Canadiens generated 3.34 expected goals to Tampa Bay Lightning's 3.76 — Tampa Bay Lightning owned the better of the chances but Montréal Canadiens took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Arber Xhekaj led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.63 on 1 assist, 2 shots on goal.
Jakub Dobes stopped 15 of 17, worth 1.76 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montréal Canadiens game?
The Montréal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 on Apr 24, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Montréal Canadiens 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Arber Xhekaj led all skaters at 1.63, on 0G, 1A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Montréal Canadiens generated 3.34 expected goals and Tampa Bay Lightning generated 3.76, so Tampa Bay Lightning created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Tampa Bay Lightning put 17 shots on goal and Montréal Canadiens put 29. High-danger chances went 3 to 11.