TAMPA | After setbacks in Raleigh and Sunrise, the Canadian will face another strong rival in the Tampa Bay Lightning in this final game of 2023.

Historically, CH has had no more success in Tampa than it has in Sunrise. And the Lightning will be looking to bounce back after two straight losses.

The journal offers you five elements to pay attention to.

1 – Slow down the slide

Tampa, like Sunrise, is not a welcoming place for Canadians. Last year the Habs lost both of their games at Amalie Arena. Worse, CH has only managed one small win in its last 10 games (1-7-2) in Tampa.

The Canadian, who lost in Raleigh and Sunrise, will try to stop his bad streak. Before Christmas there was talk of a paid trip with a harvest of five out of six possible points. But the second part of this long journey of seven games at opposing rinks didn't exactly start well.

2 – Seven defenders and eleven attackers

Johnathan Kovacevic will be in the stands for the last two games against the Lightning. Christian Dvorak will not play due to an upper body injury. The CH speaks of Dvorak's absence, which has yet to be determined. He has to undergo a test.

Without Dvorak, Martin St-Louis will have no choice but to rely on a formation with eleven attackers and seven defenders.

“I have to juggle a little bit,” St-Louis said. But that's part of the NHL, we're not the only team that does that (using seven defensemen and eleven forwards).

3 – Departure from Montembeault

The game of musical chairs will continue in front of the Canadian's net. After Cayden Primeau in Raleigh and Jake Allen in Sunrise, Samuel Montembeault will be the starting goalie for this stop in Tampa.

4 – Vasilevskiy at rest

The Lightning still haven't won since returning from Christmas break. Jon Cooper's gang suffered defeats of 3 to 2 against the Panthers and 5 to 1 against the Rangers. Both times in Tampa and with Andreï Vasilevskiy in net. With a second game on two nights, the Lightning will rely on Jonas Johansson against CH.

“We won three games in a row before Christmas, but we haven't played bad hockey in the last two games,” Cooper said during an optional Lightning practice Sunday at Amalie Arena. Our problem is that we have dug holes in the last two games and fell behind 2-0 both times. We lost 5-1 to Rangers on Saturday night, but those in attendance will know that result was not a good indicator of the game. I hope we get back on track tonight. »

5 – From the great Kucherov

Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) in 36 games. He is ahead of Nathan MacKinnon (56 points) and Artemi Panarin (50 points). Kucherov, who posted a 113-point season last year, should logically reach the 100-point mark for the fourth time in his career if he can avoid the infirmary.

“Kuch (Kucherov) is playing great hockey,” Cooper said. I've never seen him play so well on both ends of the ice. He remains a top player offensively, but also works very hard. We're only a few games over .500, but Kuch is one of the reasons we've won so many of our games. »

On the blue line, the Lightning will play their fifth straight game without defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. The former CH first-round pick is out with a lower-body injury. It is evaluated daily.

The Lightning are 17-15-5 this season. For a rare time, the Florida team finds itself in the thick of the playoff race and nowhere near the top of the Eastern Conference.

“That’s not good for the coaches,” Cooper replied with a smile. But our goal remains to participate in the playoffs, no matter what time of year you confirm your place. »