![\"Canadiens](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0415spt-col-cowan-1.jpg\")
Canadiens winger Josh Anderson punches Tampa Bay Lightning\u2019s Declan Carlile during second period in Montreal last Thursday, when the teams combined for 122 penalty minutes through the first two periods. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\nSince the Canadiens started their rebuilding process more than four years ago, the goal was to become a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n
A team whose goal isn\u2019t just to make the playoffs, but also to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for several years in a row.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, making the playoffs for the second straight season with a 48-24-10 record after losing their final regular-season game 4-2 to the Flyers Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The Canadiens are about to find out how they stack up against the experienced Lightning, with the teams set to square off in the first round of the playoffs that will start this weekend.<\/p>\n
The Lightning has an average age of 30.1, while the Canadiens have an average age of 26.<\/p>\n
Canadiens winger Josh Anderson punches Tampa Bay Lightning\u2019s Declan Carlile during second period in Montreal last Thursday, when the teams combined for 122 penalty minutes through the first two periods. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
The Buffalo Sabres (50-23-8) clinched first place in the Atlantic Division with a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Monday, while the Lightning (50-25-6) clinched second place and home-ice advantage in the first round when the Canadiens lost Tuesday night. While the Canadiens and Lightning are tied in points with 106, Tampa Bay holds the first tie-breaker, which is regulation-time wins. The Lightning will play its final regular-season game Wednesday against the New York Rangers in Tampa (7 p.m., TVA Sports2).<\/p>\n
Game 1 of the Canadiens-Lightning playoff series will likely be Sunday in Tampa since there is a concert booked for Saturday night at Benchmark International Arena.<\/p>\n
The Lightning are in the playoffs for the ninth straight season and the 12th time in the last 13 years. During the last 13 years, they have won two Stanley Cups \u2014 in 2020 and 2021, when they beat the Canadiens in the final \u2014 and lost twice in the Cup final \u2014 in 2015 and \u201922. The Lightning also lost twice in the conference final \u2014 in 2016 and \u201918.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s impressive, and it\u2019s a standard the Canadiens are looking to achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the goal,\u201d St. Louis said after the Canadiens beat the Lightning 2-1 last Thursday<\/a> in the final regular-season matchup between the teams at the Bell Centre. \u201cYou want to keep growing, and I feel like there\u2019s teams that kind of (raised) the bar a little bit, and I feel like we\u2019ve gotten closer and closer to these teams. Where exactly are we compared to them? The standings might say something, but in reality, we\u2019ve closed the separation.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we above? Are we below? It doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d St. Louis added. \u201cI\u2019m not worried about the standings. It\u2019s close.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n Tampa Bay should be the favourite heading into the series, but what might bode well for the Canadiens is that the Lightning has lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three years. The Canadiens lost to the Washington Capitals in five games in the first round last year,<\/a> but their young players gained some valuable experience.<\/p>\n What also bodes well for the Canadiens is that they won the last two regular-season games against the Lightning, including a 4-1 victory in Tampa on March 31. The Lightning won the first two games \u2014 6-1 at the Bell Centre on Dec. 9 and 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 28 in Tampa. The Canadiens will be without injured defenceman Noah Dobson to start the playoffs,<\/a> which is a big blow.<\/p>\n The Canadiens will also face a big challenge against Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has a career 16-5-2 record against them and a career .918 save percentage in the playoffs. Jakub Dobes played three playoff games against the Capitals last season after Samuel Montembeault tore two groin muscles and lost two of them while posting an .881 save percentage.<\/p>\n Vasilevskiy could be the difference in the series.<\/p>\n If this playoff series is anything like last Thursday\u2019s game, it will be fantastic for fans. Thursday\u2019s game was like playoff hockey at its best. The teams combined for 122 penalty minutes through the first two periods, which was the most in any game this season after 40 minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was physical, a lot of emotion, a lot of scrums,\u201d Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said after that game. \u201cIf we see them in the first round, I think there will be more of that to come, so it should be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re just a hard team to play against when we\u2019re on,\u201d said Josh Anderson, who had 11 penalty minutes in that game, including a fight. \u201cWe knew that tonight was going to be a hard-fought battle. \u2026 I loved our pack mentality. Everybody was in there. Nobody was shy. That\u2019s what we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n St. Louis said he saw the best version of his team in that game. He added that his players were able to play a physical game against the Lightning and weren\u2019t intimidated while not crossing the line and taking too many bad penalties.<\/p>\n They will need much more of the same in order to beat the Lightning in a best-of-seven playoff series.<\/p>\n \u201cI just feel it\u2019s a pack,\u201d St. Louis said about his team. \u201cThey\u2019re just so together. They love each other. They got each other\u2019s back. They celebrate everyone. It\u2019s a very selfless group doing a lot of things that benefit the group, not necessarily the individual. It\u2019s fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n This series should be a lot of fun to watch.<\/p>\n