Montréal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL game between the Montréal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Apr 29, 2026. Final score: Montréal Canadiens 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Apr 29, 2026 |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena |
| Series | R1 Game 5: TBL 2-3 MTL |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 3 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 2 |
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 | Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23:31 | 0.02 | 1.73 |
| 2nd | Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20:42 | 0.05 | 1.50 |
| 3rd | Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 1 | 2 | 21:41 | 0.10 | 1.47 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Montréal Canadiens–Tampa Bay Lightning) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 03:00 | MTL | Brendan Gallagher | Alex Newhook | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 2nd 06:49 | TBL | Dominic James | Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 2nd 07:00 | MTL | Kirby Dach | Zachary Bolduc, Kaiden Guhle | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 17:23 | TBL | Jake Guentzel | — | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| 3rd 01:06 | MTL | Alexandre Texier | Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki | 5v5 | 3–2 |
Team Comparison
| Montréal Canadiens | Tampa Bay Lightning | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 24 | 40 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.52 | 1.19 |
| High-danger shots | 13 | 8 |
| Corsi % | 44.7% | 55.3% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 66.0% | 34.0% |
| Hits | 37 | 23 |
| Blocks | 16 | 18 |
| Giveaways | 11 | 18 |
| Takeaways | 6 | 4 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23:31 | 0.02 | 1.73 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20:42 | 0.05 | 1.50 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21:41 | 0.10 | 1.47 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27:54 | 0.04 | 1.23 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14:35 | 0.43 | 1.22 |
| Jake Evans | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:14 | 0.61 | 1.18 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23:27 | 0.00 | 1.08 |
| Brendan Gallagher | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6:48 | 0.89 | 1.05 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19:27 | 0.17 | 1.03 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11:07 | 0.49 | 1.03 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11:46 | 0.32 | 0.92 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:30 | 0.12 | 0.64 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:13 | 0.09 | 0.57 |
| Jayden Struble | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:23 | 0.03 | 0.52 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13:42 | 0.11 | 0.44 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13:26 | 0.00 | 0.41 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:40 | 0.00 | 0.21 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:54 | 0.03 | 0.19 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic James | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13:14 | 0.14 | 0.53 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13:51 | 0.01 | 0.48 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 22:11 | 0.22 | 0.23 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:47 | 0.04 | 0.22 |
| Max Crozier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:40 | 0.02 | 0.21 |
| Conor Geekie | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5:04 | 0.00 | 0.15 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:47 | 0.00 | 0.14 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:21 | 0.04 | 0.08 |
| Corey Perry | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6:55 | 0.00 | -0.04 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 23:12 | 0.17 | -0.19 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14:23 | 0.00 | -0.22 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:49 | 0.17 | -0.69 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25:26 | 0.21 | -0.76 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:17 | 0.01 | -0.82 |
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 21:44 | 0.12 | -0.83 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:23 | 0.01 | -0.91 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:56 | 0.01 | -1.04 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:33 | 0.01 | -1.06 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 38 | 40 | 95.0% | -0.81 | W |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 21 | 24 | 87.5% | 0.52 | L |
Analysis
The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 on Apr 29, 2026, a one-goal game.
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 1.19 expected goals to Montréal Canadiens's 3.52 — Montréal Canadiens edged the chance share as well as the scoreline.
Lane Hutson led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.73 on 1 assist, 1 shots on goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 21 of 24, worth 0.52 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Montréal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning game?
The Montréal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 on Apr 29, 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 — Lane Hutson led all skaters at 1.73, on 0G, 1A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 1.19 expected goals and Montréal Canadiens generated 3.52, so Montréal Canadiens created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Montréal Canadiens put 24 shots on goal and Tampa Bay Lightning put 40. High-danger chances went 13 to 8.