Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens Betting Pick & Prediction for 4/9

bangthebook nhl game preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to take on the Montreal Canadiens in an NHL regular season game. This game will take place at the Bell Centre on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 7:00 PM. Fans can catch the action on ESPN+.

Tampa Bay holds a record of 48-24-6 under head coach Jon Cooper. They rank third in the conference and second in the division. Meanwhile, the Canadiens, led by head coach Martin St. Louis, have a 46-22-10 record. They are fourth in the conference and third in the division.

Lightning vs Canadiens Game Day Info

  • Sport: NHL
  • Teams: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens
  • Venue: Bell Centre
  • Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
  • Betting Odds:
    • Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line: -1.5 (+211)
    • Montreal Canadiens Puck Line: +1.5 (-263)
    • Tampa Bay Lightning MoneyLine: -114
    • Montreal Canadiens MoneyLine: -104
    • Over/Under: 6.5 (-105/-117)

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning have had mixed results in their recent games. They lost their last two games against the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres. In those games, the Lightning scored a total of 4 goals.

Nikita Kucherov has been a key player for the Lightning this season. He has scored 43 goals and made 84 assists. Kucherov leads the team in points with a total of 127.

In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy has played 55 games this season. He has 37 wins and 14 losses. Vasilevskiy has made 1,287 saves during the season.

Montreal Canadiens Team Preview

The Montreal Canadiens recently played five games. They won against the Florida Panthers, 4-3, with 32 shots on goal. Nick Suzuki and Phillip Danault each scored a goal in this game.

In another game, the Canadiens lost to the New Jersey Devils, 0-3. They only had 18 shots on goal and no power play goals. Jayden Struble stood out with 4 hits and 1 block.

Against the New York Rangers, the Canadiens won 3-2. They had 25 shots on goal and did not score any power play goals. Jacob Fowler made 22 saves in this game.

BTB Betting Pick

The Tampa Bay Lightning are favored to win against the Montreal Canadiens with a moneyline of -114. The Lightning have strong skater stats, ranking 2nd in goals and assists. Based on these stats, the projected score is Tampa Bay 4, Montreal 3. So, picking the Lightning to win seems reasonable.

The total for the game is set at 6.5 goals, with the under at -117. Both teams have high goals against, with Tampa Bay ranked 3rd and Montreal 17th. Given these rankings, the game might not exceed the total. Therefore, the recommendation is to take the under.