Lightning vs Canadiens: Live Score, Highlights & Must-See Moments as Tampa Bay Clashes with Montreal Tonight

The first-round series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montréal Canadiens shifts to the Bell Centre tonight for a pivotal Game 3 after the clubs traded overtime victories in Florida. Juraj Slafkovsky’s power-play strike lifted Montréal 4-3 in the opener on April 19, but two nights later J.J. Moser answered with his own extra-time heroics to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 win and knot the best-of-seven at one apiece. Key storylines to watch 1. Home-ice surge: Montréal went 24-12-5 at home during the regular season and has sold out 22 consecutive playoff dates. The Bell Centre crowd is expected to rain boos on former Hab Corey Perry, who lingered as the last skater off the ice during warm-ups earlier today, soaking in the hostility captured on social media. 2. Forward shuffle: Head coach Martin St. Louis has broken up his top six, sliding Kirby Dach back to center while Alex Newhook moves to the wing and rookie phenom Matvei Michkov gets a look with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The fresh trios were evident in the morning skate and could spark an offense that managed only 25 shots in Game 2. 3. Vasilevskiy vs. Montembeault: Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy owns a career .929 playoff save percentage against Montréal, yet Samuel Montembeault has matched him so far, stopping 71 of 77 shots through two games. Whichever netminder blinks first tonight may decide momentum for the rest of the series. 4. Special-teams chess match: The Canadiens’ power play is 3-for-7, while the Lightning penalty kill has surrendered multiple goals in back-to-back playoff games for the first time since 2021. Tampa’s vaunted man-advantage (4th in the NHL) is 0-for-6; watch for Brandon Hagel to park in front as the visitors try to break the drought. How to watch • Puck drop: 7 p.m. ET, Friday, April 24 • TV: ESPN2 (U.S.), TVA Sports / Sportsnet (Canada) • Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo, Sling; free trials available for new users Stat of the day Since 2010, teams that win Game 3 of a 1-1 series on home ice advance 67 % of the time, underscoring tonight’s stakes. Bottom line The Lightning must quiet an electric Montréal crowd to regain control, while the youthful Canadiens can seize a 2-1 edge and turn the pressure back on Tampa before Sunday’s Game 4. Expect another tight, high-energy clash—overtime wouldn’t be a surprise.