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The Montreal Canadiens are back in action against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, April 21. Game 1 was a dramatic overtime thriller, and the Habs will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead back to Bell Centre.
My Canadiens vs. Lightning predictions and NHL picks suggest another hard-fought nail-biter between two of the East's top teams, with Lane Hutson (among many other young Habs players) making his mark on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson inserted himself into Norris Trophy conversation in just his second NHL season, notching an astounding 78 points.
The 22-year-old picked up an assist on Juraj Slafkovsky's overtime winner in Game 1, giving him six points in six career playoff games. He quarterbacks what looks like a deadly, game-breaking top power-play unit in Montreal.
Look for Hutson to weave through a Tampa Bay Lightning defense and pick up an apple as he so often does.
A few key defensemen were relied upon heavily in Game 1, given the absence of Noah Dobson on the Habs' blue line. Among them was Kaiden Guhle, playing over 21 minutes despite sitting out for a four-minute high-sticking penalty.
He only blocked one shot on Sunday, but barring another controversial double-minor penalty call, he'll have a fantastic opportunity to wear a few more at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday.
Montreal has put up three or more goals in three of the last four games against Tampa, and was the second-highest scoring team on the road this season. They had eight high-danger chances at 5-on-5 compared to Tampa's one, and led 15-6 at all strengths.
Alex Newhook often gets overshadowed among the myriad of fast, young Habs forwards. While he has just one goal in his last eight games, he's occupying the 2C role, and he'll remain a scoring threat playing alongside a premier playmaker like Ivan Demidov.
He had a solid high-danger scoring chance in the first period of Game 1, stemming from a cheeky setup by Demidov.
Puck Line: Canadiens +1.5 (-155) | Lightning -1.5 (+135)
Montreal has won three straight against Tampa Bay. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Lightning.
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