Lightning face off against franchise legend Martin St. Louis and Canadiens

Tampa Bay's quest for another Stanley Cup title goes through their former star player and his new team.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 8:59pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting an abstracted hockey game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens, with the players' forms broken down into overlapping angular shapes in the teams' official colors.The Lightning's quest for a third straight Stanley Cup title will require navigating through the strategic mind of former star Martin St. Louis and his upstart Canadiens squad.Today in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to defeat one of their all-time franchise greats, Martin St. Louis, and his current team, the Montreal Canadiens, in the opening round of the NHL playoffs. St. Louis spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the Lightning before retiring and later becoming the head coach of the Canadiens.

Why it matters

This matchup pits the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions against a legendary player who was instrumental in building the Lightning into a powerhouse. St. Louis' intimate knowledge of the Lightning's system and personnel could give the underdog Canadiens an edge, making this a highly anticipated and emotional first-round series.

The details

Martin St. Louis spent 16 seasons in the NHL, 13 of them with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2004 and was a key part of their success throughout the 2000s, making six All-Star teams and winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2004. After retiring as a player, St. Louis took over as head coach of the Canadiens in 2024. Now he'll face his former team and try to lead the Canadiens to an upset victory in the opening round of the playoffs.

  • The Lightning and Canadiens will face off in the first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs.
  • Martin St. Louis spent the majority of his Hall of Fame playing career, from 2000 to 2015, with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The players

Martin St. Louis

A Hall of Fame player who spent 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a Stanley Cup in 2004, and is now the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who will have to get through their former star player and current Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis to reach the next round of the playoffs.

Montreal Canadiens

The underdog team led by former Lightning great Martin St. Louis, who will try to pull off an upset against his former club in the opening round of the playoffs.

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What they’re saying

“This is going to be an emotional series for me, but I'm focused on helping my team win. The Lightning are the defending champs and we'll have our hands full, but I believe in this group and we're going to give it our all.”

— Martin St. Louis, Head Coach, Montreal Canadiens

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 is a fascinating clash of the defending champions against a team led by one of their all-time franchise greats. Martin St. Louis' intimate knowledge of the Lightning could give the Canadiens an edge, setting up an emotional and hard-fought series.