NHL action on Thursday includes a meeting in Montréal, Quebec between the Tampa Bay Lightning (48-24-6) and Montreal Canadiens (46-22-10) at Bell Centre, starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Lightning rank second while the Canadiens are fourth in the Eastern Conference.

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Lightning vs. Canadiens: April 9 Viewing Options

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch on TV: ESPN+
Location: Montréal, Quebec
Venue: Bell Centre
Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
Lightning’s 2025-26 Stats

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Lightning vs. Canadiens Top Players

Lightning

A leading offensive player this season for Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov has put up 127 points.
With 37 goals and 49 assists, Jake Guentzel is one of the top contributors for Tampa Bay with his 86 points (1.1 per game).
Brandon Hagel has contributed 73 points for Tampa Bay in 69 games this season, netting a goal on 17.1% of his shots and putting up 35 goals and 38 assists.
In the 55 games Andrei Vasilevskiy has played this season, his save percentage is .912, the fourth-best in the league.
Canadiens

Nicholas Suzuki has scored 28 goals (0.4 per game) and dished out 68 assists (0.9 per game), fueling the Montreal offense with 96 total points (1.2 per game). He takes 2.2 shots per game, shooting 16%.
Cole Caufield is one of the top contributors for Montreal with 86 total points (1.1 per game), with 49 goals and 37 assists in 77 games.
Montreal’s Lane Hutson is among the leaders on the team with 75 total points (12 goals and 63 assists).
Jakub Dobes has a 28-8-4 record this season, with a .903 save percentage (23rd in the league). He has 1,001 saves, and has conceded 107 goals (2.7 goals against average).
Lightning vs. Canadiens Injury Report

Lightning

Declan Carlile: Out (Undisclosed),

Max Crozier: Out (Abdomen),

Dominic James: Out (Leg),

Brandon Hagel: Day-To-Day (Lower Body),

Anthony Cirelli: Day-To-Day (Undisclosed),

Pontus Holmberg: Day-To-Day (Upper Body),

Victor Hedman: Out (Personal)

Canadiens

Joe Veleno: Day-To-Day (Illness),

Alexander Carrier: Out (Upper Body),

Patrik Laine: Out (Abdomen)

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Lightning’s Schedule