The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to shut out a robust week earlier than the 4 Nations Face-Off match once 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 received the primary two matchups — 5-2 on Dec. 29 in Tampa and 3-2 on Jan. 21 in Quebec.
A member of Group Canada who will play below coach Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay proper winger Brandon Hagel will proudly show the pink and white of his nation. However he most likely is a minimum of barely upset to see the Lightning’s hiatus.
Hagel scored the primary and final markers in Saturday’s 6-3 win in Detroit, giving him six up to now 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 have a look at a few years in the past when he obtained traded right here, might you’ve gotten foreseen him taking part in for Group Canada in 2025?” Cooper stated after his group broke the Purple 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 purpose as Tampa Bay moved to 23-1-1 when main after two intervals.
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 complete up to now.
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 objectives.
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 because the shortened 2020-21 season that ended with them shedding 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 lately of his membership’s playoff hopes. “I get it. We had an excellent run. It is a arduous league. It is very aggressive, particularly within the Japanese Convention proper now. We will battle. The main target proper now could be actually to get again to a recipe that works.”
The Canadiens will likely be represented within the 4 Nations Face-Off by three members of the pink, white and blue — hometown goalie Sam Montembeault for Group Canada and wingers Patrik Laine and Joel Armia for Group Finland.
Montembeault surrendered 4 tallies on 22 pictures 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 Degree Media
