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1:21Brandon Hagel Completes The Gordie Howe Playoff Hat Trick
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1:16Highlights: Lightning even series at 1-1 on Moser's OT winner
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1:05Canadiens' Slafkovsky completes HAT TRICK with OT winner in Game 1
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1:58NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview: Canadiens at Lightning
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12:59Pierre McGuire's 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket
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1:05Sabres, Canadiens, Lightning All Have Chance At Atlantic Division
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1:00Sabres Look Like Hottest Team Heading Into Playoffs
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0:36Highlights: Canadiens at Lightning (3/31)
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0:35Who Wins The Stadium Series: Bruins at Lightning
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0:54Bruins, Lightning Both Playing Great Hockey
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0:57Lightning Atop Eastern Conference After Great January
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0:51Tampa unseasonably cold for Lightning vs. Bruins outdoor hockey game
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0:29Highlights: Kings at Lightning (12/18)
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0:25Highlights: Lightning at Canadiens (12/9)
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0:42Highlights: Devils at Lightning (11/18)
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0:00HQ Spotlight: Panthers vs Lightning Game 2 Preview
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1:09First Round Game 3 Highlights: Penguins at Flyers
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10:11Breaking Down the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup Chances
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0:57Mammoth Win 1st Playoff Game, Chance To Win Series
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Top Lightning News
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Set to travel with team
Hedman (personal) is expected to travel with the Lightning to Montreal ahead of Friday's Game 3 against the Canadiens, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Head coach Jon Cooper indicated Tuesday that Hedman was unlikely to return during the first round of the playoffs, but it's at least encouraging that he'll travel with the team to continue the first-round series. Whether he'll be able to return at some point against Montreal remains to be seen, but he appears to be trending in the right direction.
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Lightning's Charle-Edouard D'Astous: Traveling with team
D'Astous (undisclosed) will join the Lightning on the road for Game 3 against the Canadiens on Friday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
D'Astous is far from a lock to play in Game 3, but the fact that he is going to be on the trip with the team bodes well for a short-term absence. If the 28-year-old Quebec native does get back into the lineup, it figures to come at the expense of Declan Carlile, who will likely return to the press box as a healthy scratch.
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Lightning's Pontus Holmberg: Won't play in first round
Holmberg (upper body) isn't expected to be an option during the Lightning's first-round series against Montreal, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday.
Holmberg hasn't played since April 6 because of the injury. He finished the regular season with 11 goals and 22 points in 70 outings. If Holmberg is able to join later in Tampa Bay's playoff run, he will likely enter the lineup as a part of the bottom six.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: First playoff goal in three years
Kucherov scored a goal Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round.
It was Kucherov's first playoff goal in more than three years. Yes, you read that right. His last playoff goal came in Game 1 against Toronto on April 18, 2023. Kucherov has three points, including two assists, four PIM and 10 shots in two games this postseason. He will need to continue to shine for Tampa Bay for the team to advance to the second round.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Two assists in Game 2 OT win
Cirelli delivered two assists in a 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Tuesday.
Cirelli's faceoff win in overtime fed defender J.J. Moser, who danced in and roofed the winner at 12:48. He also had three shots. Cirelli has played postseason games in every NHL campaign he's played, dating back to 2017-18. He came into the playoffs fresh off his second consecutive 50-plus point campaign, and he delivered a career-high plus-38 rating. Cirelli is being counted on to shut down Ryan Suzuki this postseason, so the points really are a bonus.
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Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Gordie Howe hat trick in Game 2 win
Hagel had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over Montreal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Tuesday.
Hagel was also very involved in the physical aspect of the game, and he threw his gloves down against Juraj Slafkovsky in the second period to record a Gordie Howe hat trick. Hagel finished with seven PIM. He has four points, including three goals, nine PIM and four shots in two games this postseason.
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Lightning's J.J. Moser: Unlikely overtime hero in Game 2
Moser scored the game-winning goal Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round.
Anthony Cirelli won an offensive zone faceoff back to Moser, who took off along the blue line and down the top of the right circle before roofing the puck over Jakub Dobes' glove. It came at 12:48 of the overtime frame. Moser isn't known for his offense. He finished the regular season with seven goals, 22 assists, 111 shots, a plus-41 rating, 91 blocks, 69 PIM and 61 hits.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Game 2 win sweet redemption
Vasilevskiy made 25 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against Montreal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Tuesday.
It was sweet redemption for the Big Cat, who had some struggles in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1 on Sunday. In fact, Vasilevskiy has struggled a lot in the playoffs since the team's back-to-back Cup wins in 2020 and 2021. According to Michael Amato of Sportsnet.ca, the star netminder went into Tuesday's game with a 4-13 record and .878 save percentage since the start of the 2023 playoffs. Vasilevskiy and the Bolts head to Montreal for Game 3 on Friday. Barring injury or a mercy pull, the Big Cat will be in Tampa's blue paint until the team is eliminated. Or wins.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Set to start in Game 2
Vasilevskiy will guard the home goal versus the Canadiens in Game 2 on Tuesday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Vasilevskiy stopped 15 of 19 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 on Sunday. That wasn't his best work -- he had gone eight games without allowing more than three goals to close out the regular season. This series figures to continue to be a close one, but Vasilevskiy should maintain the lion's share of the workload between the pipes for the Lightning.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Unlikely to return during first round
Hedman (personal) is not expected to play during the first-round series after head coach Jon Cooper told reporters the blueliner was on "the doubtful side for this series," Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Hedman has rejoined the team for optional game-day skates but continues to work his way back into the lineup. The blueliner hasn't played since March 19 versus the Canucks, a stretch of 16 games on the shelf. Still, once Hedman is given the all-clear, he should be a lock to resume eating up big minutes on the blue line and logging time with one of the power-play units.
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Lightning's Charle-Edouard D'Astous: Doubtful for Tuesday
D'Astous (undisclosed) is doubtful for Game 2 against Montreal on Tuesday, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.
D'Astous was absent from Monday's practice after being injured in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1. Based on Monday's session, Declan Carlile appears poised to replace D'Astous in Tuesday's lineup, but Max Crozier is also available.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Some struggles in Game 1 OT loss
Vasilevskiy made 15 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.
Vasilevskiy allowed three power-play goals to Juraj Slafkovsky. The winner, which came off Slafkovsky's stick, found space glove-side inside the post. Vasilevskiy's angle was off on the shot; that's not something that happens often. He was outplayed by opposing goalie Jakub Dobes on Sunday. Vasilevskiy has struggled the last three postseasons, and the Bolts have seen Round 1 losses each of those years (once to the Maple Leafs, twice to the Panthers). The netminder had an exceptional regular season, but he still needs to exorcise his recent playoff demons.
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Lightning's Darren Raddysh: Goal scoring extends into playoffs
Raddysh scored a power-play goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.
Raddysh continues to channel his best Al MacInnis with his hard shots from the point. Teammate Victor Hedman (personal) remains out, and Charle-Edouard D'Astous (undisclosed) was unable to return to Game 1 after a hard hit in the second period. Raddysh will remain the Bolts' lead actor from the back end in Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Two goals in Game 1 overtime loss
Hagel scored two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.
Hagel put the Bolts up 2-1 at 12:44 of the second period; his second goal came on the power play in the third. It tied the score 3-3. Hagel joined the Bolts the season after the team's last Stanley Cup win, and he's hungry to lift Lord Stanley. Game 2 is Tuesday.
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Lightning's Jake Guentzel: Trio of helpers in Game 1 loss
Guentzel set up all of Tampa Bay's goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.
Two of his three assists came on the power play, but Guentzel was in the box for the winning goal in overtime after he took a high-sticking minor with 21 seconds left in regulation. Guentzel is looking to earn his second Stanley Cup ring. His first came in 2016-17 with Pittsburgh. Guentzel took a three-game, five-point scoring streak (four assists; seven shots) into Game 1.
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Lightning's Charle-Edouard D'Astous: Status in question going forward
D'Astous (undisclosed) exited Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 and did not return.
D'Astous left the game after being hit by Josh Anderson, who received a minor penalty for charging on the play. There was no update on the 27-year-old D'Astous' status after the game. If the defenseman is sidelined for Game 2 on Tuesday, Declan Carlile will probably draw into the lineup in a third-pairing capacity.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Two power-play helpers in Game 1
Kucherov put up two power-play assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.
With the points, Kucherov has 173 career postseason points, and he moved past greats Mario Lemiux and Peter Forsberg into sole possession of 19th all-time. Sunday's game was a touch sloppy from a penalty perspective, so it was challenging to get flow 5-on-5. Kucherov is out to prove that his postseason disappearances the last three seasons (one goal in 16 games, but 16 assists) are a thing of the past. Tampa Bay was ousted in Round 1 in each of the last three seasons.
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Team Statistical Rankings
| GF AVG | GA AVG | Power Play | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team |
3.45 (4th) |
2.76 (3rd) |
20.7 (17th) |
Injuries
| Player | Injury |
|---|---|
| C. D'Astous D Charle-Edward D'Astous D | Undisclosed |
| P. Holmberg RW Pontus Holmberg RW | Upper Body |