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If there's one player the Canadiens need to watch out for in the remainder of their series against the Lightning, it's Brandon Hagel.
He has led the entire NHL since the start of the playoffs with six goals, making him an extremely important player for his team.
Appearing on BPM Sports' Tailgate on Tuesday afternoon, Renaud Lavoie even claimed that the Tampa Bay forward is currently the best player in the National Hockey League.
That's quite a claim, but it's far from wrong.
Hagel has been involved in every play since the start of this series. He creates scoring opportunities, scores a ton of goals on those opportunities, and brings a significant physical presence.
On top of all that, he acts like a captain by trying to energize his teammates in every way possible.
His six goals account for more than half of the Lightning's total since the start of the series. Only five of Tampa Bay's 11 goals have been scored by players other than Hagel.
The 27-year-old forward has found the net in each of the four games in this series.
The good news for the Canadiens, as Renaud Lavoie explained, is that the Lightning won't always be able to count on a Hagel who's on such a hot streak. It's almost impossible for him to keep scoring in every game.
So far, Hagel has scored six goals on nine shots in the series. That's a 66.6% shooting percentage.
By way of comparison: the best shooting percentage in the NHL this season is Robert Thomas's 24.5%. It's impossible to maintain that pace for an entire series!
Montreal will have to find a way to stop Hagel, but it's also worth crossing your fingers that his scoring pace slows down a bit.
In a nutshell
– The Alouettes are taking a chance on Rohan Jones, who signed with the Rams in the NFL.
With our first-round pick in the Canadian draft (8th overall), we've selected Quebec-born tight end Rohan Jones from the University of Arkansas!
—With our first-round pick (8th overall), we've selected Quebec-born tight end Rohan Jones from Arkansas! pic.twitter.com/203B8fbsX6
— Montreal Alouettes (@MTLAlouettes) April 29, 2026
– A big loss for the Sabres.
Noah Ostlund will not return to tonight's game due to a lower-body injury.
— y – Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 29, 2026
– Jakub Dobes could steal the next game.
Canadiens-Lightning Series | “If Dobes is going to steal a game, it's the next one” – José Théodore https://t.co/62cE20AJr9
— 98.5 Sports (@985Sports) April 29, 2026
