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 | Alexandre Texier | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11:29 | 0.63 | 1.44 |
| 2nd | Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12:19 | 0.30 | 1.43 |
| 3rd | Kirby Dach | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11:32 | 0.22 | 1.24 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Guentzel | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24:17 | 0.13 | 0.79 |
| Brayden Point | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18:22 | 0.07 | 0.70 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 24:58 | 0.35 | 0.60 |
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20:35 | 0.38 | 0.54 |
| Declan Carlile | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:20 | 0.26 | 0.45 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25:27 | 0.34 | 0.25 |
| Nick Paul | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:58 | 0.07 | 0.25 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:08 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:18 | 0.02 | 0.15 |
| Dominic James | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:20 | 0.54 | 0.15 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:52 | 0.32 | 0.10 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:04 | 0.16 | 0.05 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:54 | 0.07 | 0.00 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:12 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Corey Perry | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:32 | 0.44 | 0.00 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26:17 | 0.31 | -0.05 |
| Scott Sabourin | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:44 | 0.27 | -0.05 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:27 | 0.02 | -0.20 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Texier | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11:29 | 0.63 | 1.44 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12:19 | 0.30 | 1.43 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11:32 | 0.22 | 1.24 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26:40 | 0.11 | 1.05 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10:40 | 0.04 | 0.89 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:44 | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:25 | 0.03 | 0.20 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:51 | 0.03 | 0.20 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:08 | 0.11 | 0.15 |
| Jake Evans | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:18 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Jayden Struble | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:58 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:37 | 0.29 | 0.10 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:51 | 0.34 | 0.05 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:35 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:11 | 0.12 | 0.00 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:18 | 0.16 | -0.20 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24:36 | 0.23 | -0.25 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:32 | 0.63 | -0.25 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 26 | 29 | 89.7% | -1.30 | L |
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 15 | 17 | 88.2% | -0.79 | 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.
Alexandre Texier led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.44 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shots on goal.
Jakub Dobes stopped 15 of 17, worth -0.79 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 — Alexandre Texier led all skaters at 1.44, on 1G, 1A and 1 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.