Inside the Numbers: Lightning and Canadiens Even Entering Game 5

The series between the Lightning and Canadiens is tied 2-2 and the advanced stats show it

Apr 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) defends the puck against Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens have played perhaps the most competitive series so far in this year's NHL playoffs. After four games the series is knotted at 2-2 thanks to a comeback for the ages from the Bolts. A glimpse into some of the advanced stats available shows just how close the Lightning and Canadiens by the numbers.

All stats below courtesy of NHL EDGE unless otherwise indicated.

Each team has scored 11 goals in the series, with five apiece in "high danger" areas. Total shots on goal are 94-93 in favor of the Lightning, the difference in shooting percentage favors the Canadiens by 0.1% (11.8 to 11.7)

Incredibly, both teams have spent exactly 17.9% of their time in the neutral zone. Tampa Bay has been in the offensive zone 42.6% of the time, compared to 39.5% for Montreal.

Most knowledgeable NHL fans would have given the advantage in net to the Lightning and Andrei Vasilevskiy versus Jakob Dobes, a rookie goaltender making his first playoff appearance. The two-time Stanley Cup winner Vasilevskiy has struggled in the postseason recently, and has been uneven in this series with an 8.82 save percentage. The same could be said about Dobes as evidenced by his .883 mark, and Dobes has one more save than the "Big Cat" (83-82).

Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson has the second hardest shot in the playoff to date (97.45 mph) and Tampa Bay blue liner Darren Raddysh ranks fifth hitting 96.37 mph in Game 1.

No player in this series is in the Top 10 for skating speed for the postseason, with Josh Anderson for the Canadiens hitting 22.52 mph in Game 3. Dominic James posted a 22.29 mph speed in Game 2. Both teams covered their most distance in Game 2 as well, with the Canadiens skating a total of 53.76 miles compared to 53.22 for the Lightning.

Lightning forwards Brayden Point (52.3%) and Nikita Kucherov (51.2%) rank second and third respectively in even-strength offensive zone time in the playoffs. Raddysh ranks 10th at 49.7%, while no Canadiens player ranks inside the top ten in this category.

The Canadiens rank last in shots per game in the playoffs (23.3), while the Lightning have not been much better at 23.5. Tampa's penalty kill percentage of 73.7% is the fourth worst in the postseason.

Advanced stats are a great tool if someone loves data, but this series has passed the eye test as well. The numbers support the underlying tension and razor thin margin for error on both sides.

sets up to be another great matchup, puck drops for Game 5 April 29th at 7pm EST from the Benchmark International Arena in.