Lightning-Canadiens series always seemed destined to go 7 games
MONTREAL - It didn't take long to tell that the Lightning and Canadiens are so evenly matched it might take seven games to determine the winner of their first-round playoff series.
Each of the first six games were decided by a single goal. There has been one multiple-goal lead in the series. And four games went to overtime, including the Lightning's 1-0 victory in Game 6 Friday in Montreal that coach Jon Cooper described as "epic."
So the stage is set for one of the best settings in sports, a win-or-go-home Game 7 Sunday at Benchmark International Arena. The winner earns a trip to Buffalo to play the Sabres in the second round.
"When you're a kid and everyone's (playing) in the streets or (in the house), it's Game 7 in the playoffs," said Lightning forward Jake Guentzel, who is 2-2 in Game 7s. "So, this is what we all dream about, and I've been fortunate to play in a couple, and there's just nothing better, especially at home. It's gonna be an electric atmosphere, and we obviously can't wait."
It truly will be a shame that one of these teams will see its season end Sunday night. But in this series, the league's division-based playoff format has accomplished what it was designed to do: create competitive first-round matchups that become budding rivalries.
After Gage Goncalves's goal nearly 70 minutes into a scoreless game Friday silenced the most raucous crowd in hockey, the Lightning reveled in a season-defining moment but realized the bigger task was two nights ahead of them.
"That was the big thing in the locker room after we won," coach Jon Cooper said. "Sure, guys were pumped, but we haven't won anything yet. All we did was win a game to send us back to Tampa and keep our season alive. So, don't want to rain on the parade, because what a hell of a win by the guys."
The Lightning are 7-3 in Game 7s, including 4-1 in Tampa. They won their most recent, 2-1 in Toronto in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The victory propelled them to a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
"It's been unreal, to be honest," Lightning forward Brandon Hagel said of the series. "We both had 106 points coming in this series. They're a really, really good hockey team over there. We're a really, really good hockey team here. So, I don't think we expected anything else other than what's been going on here. ... So there's no doubt in my mind, that's why the series is kind of going the way that we expected it to."
This Lightning have shaken some of their recent playoff struggles in the series. Their last two first-round exits came in five games. They've pushed this one to the limit. They've never had a series lead against the Canadiens but have been able to rebound to tie the series three times. They have as many wins in overtime (two) in this series as they did in the previous 11, when they went 2-11 in OT games.
The next hurdle is winning consecutive playoff games, something the Lightning haven't done since they strung together four straight to beat the Rangers in the 2022 Eastern Conference final.
"There's going to be a lot of ups and downs," Hagel said. "That's just the reality of hockey and the reality of the playoffs. So, you've got to be able to control your emotions. You have to be able to control when the adversity hits. And I think our team's been doing a good job at it, and give them credit too, they've been doing a really good job at it as well. So it's going to come down to one game, and I'm excited."
While Game 6 was wide open, the Lightning expect Game 7 to revert to the tight-checking style of the first five games of the series.
Center Yanni Gourde knows. He scored one of the biggest goals in franchise history - shorthanded - in a game where there wasn't much space, the Lightning's 1-0 win over the Islanders in Game 7 of the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinals.
With Tampa Bay on the penalty kill, Gourde jumped over the boards at the offensive blue line and sped uncovered into the slot, where Anthony Cirelli found him for the only goal of the game. While Gourde received the glory, his goal came after defenseman Ryan McDonagh made two key blocked shots.
The Lightning went on to beat the Canadiens in five games for their second straight Stanley Cup championship.
"It feels like there's not going to be much room," Gourde said Saturday. "You don't want to turn this into a run-and-gun game. It's one of those games where you've got to take a lot of pride in every little detail of your game and make sure that you execute well the game plan. Those games are super tight. And, yeah, it's gonna be fun. I'm excited for (Sunday)."
When Canadiens coach Marty St. Louis walked into his postgame media availability after Game 6, he didn't look like a coach whose team had just sent 21,000 inside the Bell Centre and another few thousand outside the arena home disappointed.
"You know, you've just got to embrace the situation," St. Louis said. "Things are meant to be. Things are meant to be for our growth, things are meant to be that we're playing a Game 7, I think it's going to help us pull toward what's next for us."
He could be confident in the fact that his team played its best game of the series in a loss, that his top players finally got going, and even though they weren't able to score in Game 6, the Canadiens' identity as a young, hungry team looking for its first playoff series win in five years can be a dangerous tool in a Game 7.
"We were calm through the chaos and stuff," St. Louis added. "There's no panic. We just had everybody going (Friday). It's unfortunate you don't get the result. But what a hockey game."
St. Louis knows the path of this series well. Twenty-two years ago, he scored a momentum-altering, double-overtime goal on the road in a do-or-die Game 6 for the Lightning in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final.
It's all very familiar. That season, the Lightning wasted an opportunity to take a series lead at home, then had to win in Calgary in Game 6 to force a Game 7 in Tampa.
Once again, as broadcaster Gary Thorne yelled at the end of his famous call of St. Louis' Game 6 goal, we are going back to Tampa Bay.
Lightning 3, Canadiens 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
Game 5: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2
Game 6: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0 (OT)
Sunday: at Tampa, 6
TV/radio: TNT, truTV. All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 1:01 PM.