Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Montreal Canadiens (46-28-8, 100 points) and Tampa Bay Lightning (46-27-9, 101 points) faceoff for their best-of-seven first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series in Round 1 action live from the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The game can be live streamed for free here. Montreal fans can hear all of the action on TSN 690 while Tampa Bay fans can do the same on 970 WFLA.
Tampa Bay earned the higher seed on the last day of the season and won the season series by notching victories in three of the four games this season over Montreal.
The Canadiens are hoping to have Brandon Prust back in the lineup and linemate Brandon Gallagher is glad to get him back on the team.
"Getting Prust back into the lineup is going to be big for us. He's a guy who shows up and plays for his teammates every night. We've played well together in the past and it's a lot of fun playing with him. Hopefully we can have success together and help the team," Gallagher said via NHL.com. "As a team, we need to do a good job playing defensively."
With Ben Bishop injured, the Lightning will turn to Anders Lindback in the crease.
"You just have a smile on your face for him," Steven Stamkos told the Tampa Bay Times of Lindback getting a chance to play in the postseason. "We can't stress how hard he works in practice, the great teammate he is, always smiling, not only getting himself better but challenging other players by staying out there longer and making them better. He deserves everything he's getting."
Lindback went 8-12-2 in the regular-season for the Lightning with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage. He'll be opposed by Carey Price, who went 34-20-5 with a 2.32 GAA and a career-best .927 save percentage.
Tampa Bay has been paced by Ondrej Palat, who had 59 points off of 23 goals and 36 assists while Valtteri Filppula had 25 markers and 33 helpers for 58 points and defenseman Victor Hedman lit the lamp 13 times while adding 42 assists for 55 points.
Max Pacioretty paced Montreal in the regular-season with 60 points off of 39 goals and 21 assists while P.K. Subban had 10 tallies and 43 helpers for 53 points and David Desharnais found the twine 16 times while adding 36 assists for 52 points.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off when the puck drops on the Canadiens and Lightning at the Tampa Bay Times Forum tonight.
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