The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to shut out a powerful week earlier than the 4 Nations Face-Off match after they journey to satisfy the Montreal Canadiens on Tremendous Bowl Sunday afternoon within the NHL’s final match earlier than the break.
It is going to be the ultimate of three conferences between the Atlantic Division golf equipment. Montreal gained the primary two matchups — 5-2 on Dec. 29 in Tampa and 3-2 on Jan. 21 in Quebec.
A member of Crew Canada who will play beneath coach Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay proper winger Brandon Hagel will proudly show the crimson and white of his nation. However he most likely is not less than barely disillusioned to see the Lightning’s hiatus.
Hagel scored the primary and final markers in Saturday’s 6-3 win in Detroit, giving him six previously 5 matches. He has 26 tallies, third most on the Lightning.
The franchise has seen the 26-year-old Hagel develop after buying him from the Chicago Blackhawks in March of 2022.
“You take a look at a few years in the past when he acquired traded right here, might you’ve gotten foreseen him taking part in for Crew Canada in 2025?” Cooper stated after his group broke the Crimson Wings’ seven-game successful streak. “I do not know if any of us would’ve seen that, and right here he’s. … The chemistry he is shaped with (Anthony) Cirelli is exclusive. These two work nice collectively.”
Brayden Level reached the 30-goal mark for third straight season and for the fifth time in his profession Saturday.
Making his NHL debut, former Michigan Wolverines ahead Dylan Duke scored the Lightning’s fifth objective as Tampa Bay moved to 23-1-1 when main after two durations.
Montreal was making up floor within the wild-card standings after a 3-2 residence win over Tampa Bay on Jan. 21, getting the game-winning marker from Jake Evans, who has carried out that in each victories over the Lightning this season and has 5 whole so far.
Of their penultimate match earlier than the break, Montreal was blanked 4-0 Saturday at residence towards New Jersey because the Devils’ Jack and Luke Hughes notched targets.
Former Habs backstop Jake Allen made 34 saves for his fourth shutout as Montreal fell to 1-6-1 in its previous eight video games.
Trying to make the playoffs for the primary time for the reason that shortened 2020-21 season that ended with them dropping to the Lightning within the Stanley Cup Closing, the Canadiens entered the postseason fray by incomes factors in eight of 9 video games (7-1-1) that began with a 2-1 win on the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 4.
“I am not going to speak about that proper now,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis replied just lately of his membership’s playoff hopes. “I get it. We had a fantastic run. It is a onerous league. It’s extremely aggressive, particularly within the Japanese Convention proper now. We’ll struggle. The main target proper now could be actually to get again to a recipe that works.”
The Canadiens shall be represented within the 4 Nations Face-Off by three members of the crimson, white and blue — hometown goalie Sam Montembeault for Crew Canada and wingers Patrik Laine and Joel Armia for Crew Finland.
Montembeault surrendered 4 tallies on 22 photographs Saturday to lose for the fourth time in his previous 5 begins. He fell to 18-20-3 with three shutouts in 41 video games this season.
–Area Stage Media
