Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, 4/21/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Location: Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, FL

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Canadiens (+160) Lightning (-192)

The Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6) are welcoming the Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10) at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday in Game 2 of their 1st round series. Montreal leads 1-0. The odds on this game have Montreal at +160 and Tampa Bay is at -192. The over/under has been set at 5.5.

The Montreal Canadiens came out of Game 1 feeling pretty good about themselves with a 4-3 win over the Lightning. Montreal had 14 minutes in the box in this game. Moreover, they had 5 chances with the advantage and notched 3 goals. The Canadiens had a impressive offensive output in the win. While out there on the ice, they earned a goal on 4 out of the 19 shots they tried.

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Montreal Canadiens opponents have totaled 248 power play opportunities (8th in hockey) and have a total of 54 goals in those attempts. The Canadiens have had 2,283 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .890. Montreal has taken 2,156 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 12.9%. At even strength, the Canadiens have surrendered 197 goals while getting 223 on offense. Montreal has accounted for 242 power play chances and they have scored 56 goals during those chances, garnering them a rate of 23.14%. For the current campaign, they have tallied 106 points and their points percentage is sitting at .646. In terms of scoring goals, the Montreal Canadiens have earned 279 goals (7th in the league) this year and have surrendered 251.

The man protecting the net in this game is Jakub Dobes. Over the course of his time in hockey, Dobes is sitting with 35 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .614. His save percentage sits at .904 during his 953 mins played. Dobes has seen 1,627 shots against him and he has 1,470 total saves. The opposition has been able to score 157 goals against Dobes in his career and his goals against average per contest is 2.75. He has amassed a win-loss record of 36-14-7 and he has started in 57 games. Dobes has been involved in 59 games over the course of his NHL career.

In Game 1, Tampa Bay had 5 power play opportunities in this contest and recorded 2 out of those chances. the Lightning had 3 goals of the 23 shots on goal they pursued.

Tampa Bay has tried 2,305 shots (15th in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 12.41%, while allowing their opponents 2,188 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 82.56% on their opponents 258 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 89.5%. They have earned 246 chances on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 20.73%. The Lightning have accumulated 235 goals at even strength and 51 goals (15th in pro hockey) while on the power play. They have allowed 229 goals to be scored by way of 184 goals at even strength and 45 goals while they were shorthanded. During this campaign, the Tampa Bay Lightning have earned a total of 286 goals, 106 points, as well as a points percentage of .646.

Across the ice you are going to see Andrei Vasilevskiy protecting the net. His opposition is averaging 2.49 goals per contest and he has allowed 1,467 goals altogether. Vasilevskiy's rate of quality starts sits at 59.2% and he has made 348 quality starts in his professional career. He has been a starter 588 games and has been on the ice for 28,763 mins. Vasilevskiy has accrued a career mark of 370-178-39 and has been in goal for 598 contests. He has gathered 16,122 stops out of 17,589 shots taken, giving him a save percentage of .917.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take Montreal (+160)

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