Canadiens look to finish off Lightning in Game 6 of hard-fought playoff series

Thousands of Montreal Canadiens fans were downtown hoping their Habs close out the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Montreal Canadiens look to channel a raucous crowd at the Bell Centre Friday night as they seek to finish off the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of their NHL first-round playoff series.

The Canadiens took a 3-2 lead in the hard-fought series with a 3-2 win Wednesday in Tampa, Fla.

That put the Habs on the verge of advancing past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021, when they advanced to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Lightning in five games.

Montreal ended a three-year playoff drought last season when it made a surprising post-season return with a late push before losing in five games to Washington.

The Lightning feel they are still very much in this series.

All five games have been decided by one goal, including overtime in the first three, and the teams split Games 3 and 4 in Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.