March 30, 2026, 5:51 p.m. ET
Two of the NHL’s top skaters square off when the Tampa Bay Lightning (46-21-6) and Nikita Kucherov (40 goals and 81 assists) host the Montreal Canadiens (42-21-10) and Nicholas Suzuki (26 goals and 65 assists) at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN+.
Tampa Bay grabbed a 3-2 victory at home its last time out on March 29 against the Nashville Predators.
In its last game on March 29, Montreal claimed a 3-1 road victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Ahead of this matchup, here is what you need to prepare for Tuesday’s hockey action.
Watch Lightning vs. Canadiens on ESPN+!Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens odds and betting lines
NHL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 5:52 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Lightning (-171)Underdog: Canadiens (+143)Over/under: 6.5Lightning vs. Canadiens game info and start timeDate: Tuesday, March 31, 2026Time: 7 p.m. ETTV channel: ESPN+Live stream: Watch on ESPN+Watch Lightning vs. Canadiens on ESPN+!Lightning stats and trendsTampa Bay has gone 38-23 as the oddsmakers’ favorite this season.In 28 games with shorter than -171 moneyline odds this season, the Lightning have won 19.The moneyline odds imply that Tampa Bay has a 63.1% chance of winning this contest.Tampa Bay’s games this season have gone over 6.5 goals 35 of 73 times.Over the last 10 games, the Lightning are 7-1-2 (75.0% of possible points).They have totaled 42 goals during that span.On the defensive end, the Lightning have given up 25 goals (2.5 per game) over those 10 matchups.Canadiens stats and trendsThis season the Canadiens have 22 wins in the 35 games in which they’ve been an underdog.Montreal has gone 4-2 when oddsmakers have made them underdogs of +143 or longer on the moneyline.Sportsbooks have implied, based on the moneyline in this matchup, that the Canadiens have a 41.2% chance to win.So far this season, 56.2% of Montreal’s games (41/73) have had more goals than Tuesday’s over/under of 6.5.Over the past 10 contests, the Canadiens have secured 85.0% of the possible points with a 7-3-0 record.They are scoring at a 3.3 goals-per-game average (33 total) over that span.Defensively, the Canadiens have given up 21 goals (2.1 per game) in those 10 outings.
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