Overview
- Puck drop is 5:00 p.m. EST in Tampa for the teams’ second meeting after a 6–1 Lightning win earlier this month.
- Tampa Bay enters at 21-13-3 and seeks a fourth straight victory, while Montreal is 20-12-5 in the Atlantic race.
- Jacob Fowler is expected to start for the Canadiens, carrying a 3-1-1 mark and a .918 save percentage in December, per team-focused reporting.
- Montreal’s depth is stretched with multiple forwards sidelined, including Jake Evans reported out 4–6 weeks, as a five-game road swing begins.
- The matchup follows Tampa Bay’s emotional game against Florida that featured 136 penalty minutes, a factor that could shape special-teams play.