The Canadiens will play the Lightning on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026. Your timezone's face off time is 6:08 pm EDT. Check local listings or your nearest streaming app for coverage.
Learn more about NHL Betting with our handy tutorial and guide. We explain money line, total and puck line bets. Plus, a great discussion about exotic bets like NHL parlays and props.
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Table of Contents
- Matchup Stats
- Best Odds
- Interactive Odds Example
- Prop Bets
- Team Standings
- Futures Odds
- Team Pages
- Other Games Today
Key Matchup Stats
The 2026 NHL playoffs continue, featuring a big game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026. Below, you'll find some useful stats from the regular season that may be helpful as you handicap this matchup. After that, we've gathered the best moneyline, goal total, and puck line bets from our licensed and legal sports betting partners.
- SportsBetting3.com Power Rankings - The Montreal Canadiens ended their 2025-26 NHL regular season with a 94.33 power ranking. The Tampa Bay Lightning start this game with a 96.33 power ranking. In most cases, the team with the higher SportsBetting3.com power ranking will be the moneyline favorite, with some exceptions depending on the particular playoff matchup.
- Away Montreal Canadiens - The Montreal Canadiens step on the ice with 24-9-8 regular season record as an away team, a result that ranks them 2nd in the league for away team wins. As a side note, the Montreal Canadiens ranked 14th during the regular season for away team losses.
- Home Tampa Bay Lightning - The Tampa Bay Lightning skated to the playoffs with a 26-14-1 record as a home team, which put them 2nd in the league for home team wins during the regular season. Interestingly, they wound up 7th for home team losses.
- Goals Scored - The Montreal Canadiens ranked 6th (283) for goals scored, with the Tampa Bay Lightning ultimately ranking 4th (290) in the league for goals scored during the 2025-26 NHL regular season.
- Goals Against - Keep tabs on the health of the goalies and defensive players as the 2026 playoffs continue. The Montreal Canadiens ranked 13th (256) in the league for goals allowed during the regular season. But the Tampa Bay Lightning allowed 231 goals during the regular season, resulting in a 23rd overall league ranking.
- Shootout Records - A shootout will be held to determine the winner following a tie after 3 periods and overtime. At the end of the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens had a 4-5 shootout win-loss record, with the Tampa Bay Lightning finishing up with a 4-2 shootout record.
- Team Records - The Montreal Canadiens had a 48-24-10 record and the Tampa Bay Lightning tallied a 50-26-6 at the conclusion of 2025-26 NHL regular season.
Best Canadiens at Lightning Odds
| Underdog Montreal Canadiens | Favorite Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|
| Over | Under |
|---|---|
| Underdog Montreal Canadiens | Favorite Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|
Matchup Odds FAQs
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the -165 moneyline favorite at BetMGM and the Montreal Canadiens are the +140 moneyline underdog at BetMGM.
The best over line is 5 -115 goals at BetMGM, which means you risk $115 to win $100 betting the over. The best under line is 5 -105 goals at BetMGM, and that means you risk $105 to win $100 betting the under.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -1.5 +165 puck line favorites at BetMGM, while the Montreal Canadiens are +1.5 -200 puck line underdogs at BetMGM.
NHL Odds Example
|
Game |
 BetMGMBet |
|---|---|
Canadiens
Lightning
5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | +140-165 |
- Montreal Canadiens bettors risk $100 to win $140 at +140 odds. The implied probability for Montreal Canadiens is 41.67%.
- Tampa Bay Lightning bettors risk $100 to win $60.61 at -165 odds. The implied probability for Tampa Bay Lightning is 62.26%.
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning Prop Bets
| BetMGM Bet |
|
|---|---|
Canadiens
Lightning
Both Teams Score 2+ Goals
5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | Yes +100No -135Bet |
Canadiens
Total Goals
MTL at TBL 5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | 2 o -1402 u +100Bet |
Lightning
Total Goals
MTL at TBL 5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | 3 o +1053 u -145Bet |
Brandon Hagel
To Score 3 Goals
MTL at TBL 5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | Yes +6000Bet |
| BetMGM | |
Cole Caufield
To Score 3 Goals
MTL at TBL 5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | Yes +6600Bet |
Jake Guentzel
To Score 3 Goals
MTL at TBL 5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | Yes +8000Bet |
Nikita Kucherov
To Score 3 Goals
MTL at TBL 5/03/26 6:08pm EDT | Yes +6600Bet |
Team Standings
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | wPct | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Diff | Home | Away | SO | L10 | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x - Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 0.610 | 106 | 46 | 290 | 231 | +59.0 | 26-14-1 | 24-12-5 | 4-2 | 5-5-0 | L1 |
| x - Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 0.585 | 106 | 44 | 283 | 256 | +27.0 | 24-15-2 | 24-9-8 | 4-5 | 7-3-0 | L1 |
Montreal Canadiens & Tampa Bay Lightning Futures Odds
Latest Stanley Cup odds, if available, for each team. Review odds for other teams and learn how Stanley Cup betting works. See past Championship results and learn how to bet NHL teasers, props and parlays.
Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Odds|
Team | BetMGM |
|---|---|
| Canadiens | +600 Bet |
No Stanley Cup TM Tampa Bay Lightning YR: futures available
Montreal Canadiens & Tampa Bay Lightning Team Pages
Review each team's season point total odds, futures odds, betting bonuses and other valuable information on our exclusive team betting odds pages. Team betting odds and stats update throughout the season:
How to Bet on the Game
Time needed: 4 minutes.
How to Bet on the Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Game
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Open a new sports betting account before game time.
Review our list of sports betting sites. Open a new account before the game starts on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026 at 6:08 pm EDT, making sure to enter all your personal details correctly. Don't forget to add your bonus code.
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Visit the sportsbook’s cashier, banking, or deposit page.
Navigate to the sportsbook's deposit page. Use your Visa card or MasterCard, or deposit with a bank transfer, or other methods like Paypal.
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Tap to the sportsbook's NHL page, look for the Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game.
Navigate to the sportsbook's NHL page. Next, look for live or upcoming matchups. Select the Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game.
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Choose your bet and place a wager.
Choose your bet and then use the funds you deposited to place a wager. The sportsbook will pay your winnings or deduct a losing wager from your account balance after the game.
Other May 3, 2026 NHL Games
- Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche - 5/03/26 9:08pm EDT