Jakub Dobes gets the start as Canadiens open playoffs vs. Tampa

It's a significant moment for the 24-year-old Czech netminder, who posted a .901 save percentage in 43 regular-season appearances this year.

That number won't blow anyone away on paper. But it got the Canadiens here, finishing 48-24-10 and sitting at 106 points, third in the Atlantic Division.

The matchup they drew isn't soft. Tampa Bay finished at 50-26-6, also 106 points, with a goal differential of plus-59 compared to Montreal's plus-27.

That differential isn't just a stat. It's a reminder that the Lightning have been outscoring opponents by more than two goals per game over a full season.

Martin St-Louis shuffled his defensive pairings heading into this one, pairing Mike Matheson with Alexandre Carrier on the top pair, despite Carrier carrying a day-to-day upper-body issue.

Up front, the lineup is unchanged. Cole Caufield goes in with 88 points on the season, 51 goals among them, riding a +29 rating.

Beside him, Nick Suzuki hit 101 points this year, 29 goals and 72 assists. That first line is the engine. If it doesn't produce early in this series, Montreal is in serious trouble.

The Suzuki-Caufield-Slafkovsky trio is the kind of top six that can beat anyone on a given night. Juraj Slafkovsky added 73 points and 15 power play goals.

On the blue line, Lane Hutson's usage this postseason will be worth watching closely. The 22-year-old put up 78 points in the regular season and had 7 points in his last 10 games.

Kaiden Guhle draws back in after missing significant time, with just 11 points in 39 regular-season games. He's not asked to produce. He's asked to be steady.

Patrik Laine is out for the season with an abdominal injury, which means Brendan Gallagher draws extra-skater duty from the start. At 7 goals this year, he's a role player now, not a contributor.

The four regular-season meetings between these clubs split evenly, 2-2. Montreal dropped a 6-1 decision at home in December, then won a 4-1 road game in March and a 2-1 squeaker at home in April.

Jon Cooper's Lightning are a known commodity. Two Cup banners, the same core, the same structure. They've been here before. Most of this Canadiens group hasn't.

Which makes tonight interesting in a way that goes beyond the scoresheet. How Montreal responds to their first taste of playoff hockey, in a building that's seen a lot of clinchers, will tell you something real about who this team actually is.

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