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The Canadiens kept their momentum going yesterday in Tampa Bay. They overcame one-goal deficits twice and managed to defeat the Lightning on the road, even though the Lightning outshot the Canadiens (23-19).
Do I need to remind you that there's only one team in the entire NHL that recorded more road wins than the Habs in 2025-26 (the Avalanche)?
Do I also need to remind you that the Habs were the masters of comebacks during the regular season that just ended? Yesterday, the Montrealers once again finished the job in overtime; this time at five-on-four, not three-on-three.
As for each team's shots on goal, you really have to take this statistic with a grain of salt. Yesterday, the Lightning may have dominated the Canadiens in this category, but the fact remains that it was the Montrealers who had the most scoring chances (both standard and high-danger). And by a wide margin!
Montreal at Tampa Bay Game 1 at 5-on-5:
Scoring chances:
MTL – 15
TBL – 11High-danger chances:
MTL – 8
TBL – 1The high-danger chances at all strengths were 15-6 in favor of the Canadiens.
— Chris Meaney (@chrismeaney) April 20, 2026
In the playoffs, size makes the difference
We all agree on one thing this morning: Juraj Slafkovsky was the Habs' best player on both teams.
According to TVA Sports, Alexandre Carrier was the Habs' second-best player—the station awarded him the third star, behind Slafkovsky and Brandon Hagel—but we'll take that with a grain of salt. The “Quebec” bias is showing here.
Don't mention it to Maxim Lapierre on X, though; he doesn't seem to be in the mood to accept criticism…
The Habs' second-best player was probably Josh Anderson: one goal, another disallowed goal, +1, one blocked shot, four hits… but two minor penalties. Still, without Anderson, I (really) don't think the Habs would have left the arena with a win yesterday.
Slafkovsky… Anderson… we're talking about two 6'3” guys for whom the playoff style of hockey “suits” them even better than the regular season style. Yes, size makes a difference in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Kirby Dach (6'4”) didn't get the memo. He once again finished the game with zeros in virtually every statistical category.
I wonder when Martin St-Louis will decide to replace Dach with Joe Veleno, whose size also “fits”
very well with the playoff
style. Right after the team's first loss?
Shane Who?
When I saw Juraj Slafkovsky celebrate his game-winning goal in overtime, I have to admit: I had a little thought for Shane Wright and the look on his face at the Canadiens' table on draft
day 2022
.
Is there anyone left who doubts Slafkovsky's selection with the first overall pick?
Slafkovsky is clearly the best player drafted in 2022… and Lane Hutson is probably the second-best. With 146 points in 166 games, Hutson is more productive than Logan Cooley (152 points in 211 games). And Hutson is a defenseman…
We'll see how Cutter Gauthier develops in Anaheim…
Kent Hughes and his team made the right call by choosing Slafkovsky over Wright; that's worth noting.
However, the draft is an inexact science. The following year, everything indicates that the same group missed the mark by selecting David Reinbacher over Matvei Michkov and Ryan Leonard. Except that while we constantly point out the questionable selection of Reinbacher, we must also constantly bring up the excellent selection of Slafkovsky. To be credible, you have to know how to applaud and criticize. Not just one or the other!
In that sense, do you think Jon Cooper was able to appreciate Juraj Slafkovsky's goals yesterday? #LOL
— Jean-François Codère (@jfcodere) April 20, 2026
Canada vs. USA
… when it's not appropriate
I don't know if you heard the Lightning fans chanting “USA! USA! USA!”
during last night's game, but those chants showed just how illogical the U.S.-Canada rivalry can be.
Look at how many Canadians play for the Lightning:
Last night, there were only three Americans in uniform for the Bolts: Ryan McDonagh, Dominic James, and Jake Guentzel. The Lightning's best players are Canadian and Russian; that's a fact.
You've got it all wrong, guys…
To think that Nikita Kucherov was mocking Montreal fans just five years ago…
