By: Chris Nosek

I have this as one of the best matchups in the first round. The Canadiens got a taste of the playoffs last season when they lost their series against the Washington Capitals. This year, they took a step forward and have shown growth in many areas. Getting matched up against the Lightning is one of the toughest matchups they could have landed. They’re still a young, up-and-coming team, while the Tampa Bay Lightning still have their cup-winning core.

Despite battling injuries throughout their lineup all season, the Lightning still were dominant, and Nikita Kucherov posted another MVP-caliber season, posting 130 points. Hagel and Guentzel both posted over 25 goals this season, and Andrei Vasilevskiy put himself in the Vezina conversation again. Montreal, on the other hand, had several questions about its goaltending this season. Jakub Dobes certainly secured the job late in the year and will likely start tonight. However, Martin St. Louis will have no hesitation turning to his rookie, Jacob Fowler, should Dobes falter. Fowler has played in massive games before and has been unbothered by the large stage.

The goaltending on both sides has the chance to keep the scores very low. However, in recent seasons, Vasilevskiy has proven to be beatable. The Canadiens have several young, talented goal scorers who can beat him. Jaraj Slafkovsky stepped up in the Olympics and won’t be bothered by the size of the stage in this playoff. The Lightning will also be without Victor Hedman to start this series. This is a huge hit to Tampa Bay’s lineup, and one I’m not sure they’ll be able to overcome in the series.

Prediction: Montreal Canadiens advance in 7 games