The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to cap off a strong week before the Four Nations Face-Off tournament when they travel to face the Montreal Canadiens on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon in the NHL’s final game before the break.
It will be the final of three meetings between the Atlantic Division clubs. Montreal won the first two meetings: 5-2 on Dec. 29 in Tampa and 3-2 on Jan. 21 in Quebec.
Tampa Bay right winger Brandon Hagel, a member of Team Canada who will play under coach Jon Cooper, will proudly wear the red and white of his country. But he’s probably a little disappointed by the Lightning’s pause.
Hagel scored the first and last goals in Saturday’s 6-3 win at Detroit, giving him six in the last five games. He has 26 points, third most on the Lightning.
The franchise has watched Hagel, 26, grow after acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2022.
«If you look at what happened a couple of years ago, could we have predicted he would be playing for Team Canada in 2025?» Cooper said after his group snapped the Red Wings’ seven-game winning streak. «I don’t know if any of us would have seen it, and here he is… The chemistry he’s formed with (Anthony) Cirelli is unique. Those two work so well together.»
Brayden Point reached the 30-goal mark for the third straight season and fifth time in his career on Saturday.
Making his NHL debut, former Michigan Wolverines forward Dylan Duke scored the Lightning’s fifth goal as Tampa Bay moved to 23-1-1 when leading after two periods.
Montreal was making up ground in the wild-card standings after a 3-2 home win over Tampa Bay on Jan. 21, getting the game-winning goal from Jake Evans, who has done it in both wins over the Lightning this season and has five overall so far.
In its penultimate game before the break, Montreal was beaten 4-0 Saturday at home by New Jersey, with goals from the Devils’ Jack and Luke Hughes.
Former Habs defenceman Jake Allen made 34 saves for his fourth shutout as Montreal fell to 1-6-1 in its last eight games.
In a bid to make the playoffs for the first time since the shortened 2020-21 season that ended with a loss to the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens entered the postseason by earning points in eight of nine games (7-1-1) that began with a 2-1 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 4.
«I’m not going to talk about that right now,» Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis recently responded to his club’s playoff hopes. «I get it. We had a great run. It’s a tough league. It’s very competitive, especially in the Eastern Conference right now. We’re going to fight. The focus now is really getting back to a recipe that works.»
The Canadiens will be represented in the 4 Nations showdown by three members of the red, white and blue: hometown goaltender Sam Montembeault for Team Canada and wingers Patrik Laine and Joel Armia for Team Finland.
Montembeault allowed four goals on 22 shots Saturday and lost for the fourth time in his last five starts. He fell to 18-20-3 with three shutouts in 41 games this season.