The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at Bell Centre. Both teams are looking to bounce back from losses in their last game to help them get closer to the top of the Atlantic Division. Who will be celebrating a win when this game is in the books? Continue reading to get my Lightning vs Canadiens prediction for Monday’s action on the ice.
Our Lightning vs Canadiens Pick
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens
- Date & Time: Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
Tampa Bay has taken four straight losses and is coming off a shutout at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their offense has stalled without key contributors at full strength. To make things worse, the Lightning are playing on the second night of a back-to-back here. On the other hand, Montreal won back-to-back games via shootout against the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs. But their two-game winning streak was snapped in their last game against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Goaltending
Goaltender availability is a major storyline. Tampa Bay’s starter, Andrei Vasilevskiy, remains on injured reserve. That puts pressure on the Lightning’s backup goalies, who also have to overcome playing for the second straight night. Montreal’s own netminding is a question mark as well. Sam Montembeault is listed as day-to-day. Jakub Dobes has better numbers and should be fine to start if need be.
Key skaters
Tampa Bay will need efforts from forwards such as Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point to reignite their attack, while Montreal may lean on the scoring of Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki to push their offense forward. Suzuki has 32 points this season to lead the Canadiens, while Nikita Kucherov’s 34 points is the top total for Tampa.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop Type |
|---|---|
| Brandon Hagel (TB) | |
| Brayden Point (TB) | |
| Cole Caufield (MTL) | |
| Nick Suzuki (MTL) |
Betting Trends & H2H
- This is the first of four games to be played between the Canadiens and Lightning this season.
- The Canadiens have gone over the total in 19 of their 28 games this season.
- Tampa has gone 13-16 on over/unders, favoring the under in the majority of their games.
Lightning vs Canadiens Model Projection
Final Thoughts
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