The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to finish a strong week before the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament when they play the Montreal Canadiens on Super Bowl Sunday in the NHL’s last game before the break.
This will be the third and final meeting between the two Atlantic Division teams. Montreal won the first two games — 5-2 on Dec. 29 in Tampa and 3-2 on Jan. 21 in Quebec.
Tampa Bay right winger Brandon Hagel, who is part of Team Canada under coach Jon Cooper, will proudly wear his country’s red and white. However, he may feel some disappointment about the Lightning’s break.
Hagel scored the first and last goals in a 6-3 win in Detroit on Saturday, bringing his total to six goals in the last five games. He now has 26 goals, third-most on the Lightning.
The Lightning have seen Hagel develop since acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2022.
“Look at two years ago when he got traded here, could you have seen him playing for Team Canada in 2025?” Cooper said after his team broke the Red Wings’ seven-game winning streak. “I don’t know if any of us would’ve seen that, and here he is. … The chemistry he’s formed with (Anthony) Cirelli is unique. Those two work great together.”
Brayden Point reached 30 goals for the third straight season and the fifth time in his career on Saturday.
In his NHL debut, former Michigan Wolverines forward Dylan Duke scored the Lightning’s fifth goal, as Tampa Bay improved to 23-1-1 when leading after two periods.
Montreal is trying to get back into the wild-card race after a 3-2 home win over Tampa Bay on Jan. 21, where Jake Evans scored the game-winner. Evans has scored in both of Montreal’s wins over Tampa Bay this season and has five game-winning goals this season.
Canadiens face daunting schedule with key matchups ahead (Montreal Canadiens)Montreal lost 4-0 to New Jersey on Saturday at home, with Jack and Luke Hughes scoring for the Devils. Former Canadiens goalie Jake Allen made 34 saves for his fourth shutout, as Montreal dropped to 1-6-1 in its past eight games.
The Canadiens are aiming to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season, when they lost to the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. They had a strong run recently, earning points in eight of nine games (7-1-1) starting with a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 4.
“I’m not going to talk about that right now,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said about his team’s playoff chances. “I get it. We had a great run. It’s a hard league. It’s very competitive, especially in the Eastern Conference right now. We’re going to fight. The focus right now is really to get back to a recipe that works.”
Montreal will be represented at the 4 Nations Face-Off by goalie Sam Montembeault for Team Canada and wingers Patrik Laine and Joel Armia for Team Finland.
Montembeault gave up four goals on 22 shots in Saturday’s loss, marking his fourth defeat in the last five starts. He is now 18-20-3 with three shutouts in 41 games this season.
