Does experience matter come playoff time in the NHL?
We’re about to find out.
“I feel like it’s going to be a little different than it was last year,” Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky said following Thursday’s practice in Brossard. “I don’t know what to expect to be different, but I want to focus on us. Make sure we’re prepared for anything.
“I feel like we’re so close as a team and we play for each other all the time,” he added. “I feel like we proved it to ourselves a lot of times during the season. No matter what the score is and the situation, we can always find a way to win the game and achieve something.”
“No matter what the score is and the situation, we can always find a way to win,” says Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky, pulling Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nick Paul out of a scrum during second period in Montreal on April 9. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
The Canadiens are preparing for their opening-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, beginning Sunday on the road (time to be determined). While the teams split their four-game regular-season series, the Lightning has experience on its side and is heavily favoured.
Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and ’21 — the latter against the Canadiens — and reached the final in ’22 before losing to Colorado. Head coach Jon Cooper, who has been behind the team’s bench since 2013, has reached the playoffs 11 times and has coached 155 post-season games (88-67).
The Canadiens ended a four-year playoff drought last season before being dispatched in five games by Washington, while Martin St. Louis has coached Montreal since 2022.
“I’m going to focus on my team,” St. Louis said. “I’m not going to focus on the coach behind the bench over there. I’ll give you facts. They’re a veteran team that pretty much has been the standard the last seven, eight, 10 years. They’re good. We’re good, too … whether we’re the favourite or underdog. That’s why we play the games. We’re not worried about this.
“We’re business as usual. I expect us to play the best hockey we can play. I expect us to play together on both sides of the puck. I don’t know who’s going to score the goals, but I know we can. We’ll go play hockey.”
Captain Nick Suzuki and defenceman Kaiden Guhle (maintenance days) both missed practice. Goalie Jacob Fowler is sick and wasn’t on the ice as well, but injured defenceman Alexandre Carrier, who missed the final nine games, participated wearing a full-contact jersey.
— and with the likelihood of a first-round matchup looming — 126 penalty minutes were meted out. The visitors took 71 minutes of that total, along with four of the seven 10-minute misconducts.
Canadiens forward Kirby Dach advances the puck past centre ice during the first period against the Florida Panthers in Montreal on April 7, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
It goes without saying the series will be physical, and if the Lightning believes it can intimidate the Canadiens, it will continue to try to exploit that aspect. It was quite obvious Montreal couldn’t match the Capitals’ robust style last season. Tom Wilson in particular ran roughshod over many of the Canadiens’ smaller players — at least until Josh Anderson intervened and defenceman Arber Xhekaj was inserted into the lineup.
at the end of the second period that spilled into the Washington bench after the door popped open. Both players were fined US$5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was the Canadiens’ only win in the series.
“At this time of year — and it would have been the same if we were playing Buffalo — you start to build that animosity and hate towards one another,” said 6-foot-4, 221-pound Kirby Dach. “We’ve had a few physical games against them this year. I don’t think it’s hard to get up or be more physical in those games. It’s what comes with (the playoffs).”
Dach was limited to 37 games this season due to injuries, scoring eight goals and adding seven assists. Despite his size, Dach doesn’t play a particularly physical game and only had 53 hits.
“I’m just going to play my game,” he said. “I’m going to do what the coaching staff asks of me and our line. Go out there and play the game we need to play to have success as a team. I think the playoff experience is going to help a lot of guys understand the physical grind. But more the mental grind of preparing for games. We’re a pretty confident group when we go on the road.
“As a young group — to kind of take that big step last year and another step forward this year — it’s going to help us try and make some noise in the playoffs and focus on what we need to change from last year.”
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