The Montreal Canadiens are entering this series as the underdog against the Tampa Bay Lightning, however these two teams are not that far off and that should make a very competitive series. For the Canadiens, they are going to be without Noah Dobson to begin the series but the Lightning are expected to be without a crucial part of their team as well.
On Saturday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN tweeted that the Lightning's head coach, Jon Cooper, said that Hedman had begun skating but wasn't ready to return quite yet. He said that the Lightning captain would travel to Montreal with the team and that would mean he might be ready for a return in Game 3 or Game 4.
Victor Hedman has struggled this season but would be a boost for the Lightning when he returns against the Montreal Canadiens
Hedman is a big part of what the Lightning do and has made them successful over the past few seasons. He has been out with an injury since March 19th, and during that time, the Lightning have gone 8-5-2, which includes two losses to the Montreal Canadiens.
This season has been tough for the veteran as he has only had one goal and 15 assists in 33 regular season games. However, he is a veteran and leader for this team that certainly could have a positive impact on this team when on the ice in the playoffs.
For the Canadiens, they desperately need to get a win early in this series as it could swing momentum back in their favor. Since they finished third in the division, they are starting on the road against Tampa Bay for the first two games before returning to Montreal for Games 3 and 4.
If the Montreal Canadiens can get a win in the first two games, especially with the Lightning being without Hedman, it gives them a viable path towards pulling off the upset in this series.
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