On Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens learned who they will be playing in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the only thing left to determine being where the first game will be played. The Buffalo Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division with their win over the Chicago Blackhawks, and it now sets up a rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In that Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens weren't really competitive as the Lightning would win the Stanley Cup in five games. However, this year's playoff meeting should be very different as the Canadiens have been much more competitive winning their last two meetings in the last two weeks by a combined 6-2.
The last game was an instant classic where the Lightning tied it up with two minutes left in the third period. However, the Canadiens would not play for overtime and Juraj Slafkovsky would score the game winner less than a minute later.
Montreal Canadiens need to win and get some help from the Rangers to clinch home ice
The fact that the Canadiens didn't let that game get to overtime is a big reason that they still have a chance at home ice advantage in this series. The Canadiens will play their final regular-season game on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
Right now, both teams are tied at 106 points but the Lightning hold the first tiebreaker with more regulation wins than Montreal. If both teams win, then the Lightning will have home ice and host the first two games of this series.
However, a Canadiens win and Lightning loss means that the series will open in Montreal.
There are several players still on the roster from their Stanley Cup meeting, including Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Phillip Danault. They have probably not forgotten the sting of getting so close to winning a Stanley Cup and should set the stage for a great first-round series between these two teams.
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