Lightning face franchise great St. Louis and Canadiens in playoffs

Tampa Bay and Montreal meet in first round with Hall of Famer St. Louis now coaching the Canadiens

Apr. 18, 2026 at 7:36pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting an abstract hockey game, with players' forms broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of blue, white, red, and bleu-blanc-rouge, capturing the intensity and strategic complexity of the playoff matchup.A cubist interpretation of the high-stakes playoff clash between the veteran Lightning and the upstart Canadiens, led by coaching legend Martin St. Louis.Today in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to go through one of their all-time greats, Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, who is now the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, in the first round of the NHL playoffs. St. Louis played 13 seasons for the Lightning, leading them to their first Stanley Cup title in 2004 when he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The Canadiens are seeking their first Stanley Cup since 1993, while the Lightning are looking to avoid a fourth straight early playoff exit.

Why it matters

This matchup pits two of the NHL's most storied franchises against each other, with the added intrigue of Lightning legend Martin St. Louis now leading the Canadiens. The series will test the Lightning's playoff experience and resolve as they try to finally get over the hump after three consecutive first-round exits.

The details

The Lightning and Canadiens finished the regular season with 106 points each, but Tampa Bay earned home-ice advantage with 50 wins to Montreal's 48. The Canadiens won two of the four regular-season meetings, including the last two by a combined score of 6-1. The Lightning are led by offensive stars Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, and Brandon Hagel, while the Canadiens are paced by Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky. In goal, Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy is a Vezina Trophy winner and Conn Smythe winner, while Montreal's Jakub Dobes is in his first full NHL season.

  • The first-round series between the Lightning and Canadiens begins on Sunday, April 16, 2026.
  • St. Louis has been the Canadiens' head coach since 2022, so this will be his fourth season facing his former team.

The players

Martin St. Louis

A Hall of Fame forward who played 13 seasons for the Lightning, leading them to their first Stanley Cup title in 2004 when he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. St. Louis' No. 26 jersey is retired by the Lightning organization.

Jon Cooper

The head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who has guided the team to three Stanley Cup Finals appearances and two championships.

Nikita Kucherov

The Lightning's star forward who led the team with 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) this season, finishing second in the NHL in scoring.

Nick Suzuki

The Canadiens' top center who had a career-high 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists) this season, becoming only the fifth player in franchise history to reach 100 points in a season.

Andrei Vasilevskiy

The Lightning's star goaltender who won the Vezina Trophy in 2018-19 and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2020-21.

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What they’re saying

“I'm so far removed from that. It's my fourth year now, gone to the building plenty of times. I think the first time I went, yeah, it was a little weird. I don't have any emotion attached to the Lightning right now. Zero.”

— Martin St. Louis, Canadiens Head Coach

“If you're comparing myself to Marty, I'm not a Hall of Famer. He's in the Hall of Fame. I'm not. So, I'd never put us on the same level.”

— Jon Cooper, Lightning Head Coach

What’s next

The winner of the Lightning-Canadiens series will advance to the second round of the 2026 NHL playoffs.

The takeaway

This first-round matchup between the Lightning and Canadiens has added intrigue with Martin St. Louis, a Lightning legend, now leading the Canadiens. The series will test Tampa Bay's playoff experience and resolve as they try to avoid a fourth straight early postseason exit, while Montreal seeks its first Stanley Cup since 1993.