Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis will likely shuffle his lineup for game five against the Tampa Bay Lightning. So far, the Eastern Conference series has been one of the top matchups in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series is tied heading to the fifth game, and every matchup has been decided by just one goal. Three of the four games have also gone to overtime.
As expected, Canadiens stars Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson have all pulled their weight against the Lightning. The quartet has combined to rack up 15 points in the first four games of the series. Slafkovsky and Hutson both scored overtime winners in games one and three, respectively.
Nevertheless, Montreal has not received a ton of help from other players down the depth chart. For instance, Ivan Demidov, Phillip Danault, and Oliver Kapanen have combined for two points (both assists in the first two games) on the series. Because of this, St. Louis has been urged to make some roster changes before it is too late.
It now seems as if the Canadiens coach may be ready to shake things up. According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, veteran Brendan Gallagher could enter Montreal’s lineup for the first time this postseason. The veteran did not take part in the team’s morning skate at Benchmark International Arena. The pregame session is typically reserved for players who will not play in the upcoming game.
Montreal Canadiens Hoping to Lean on Brendan Gallagher’s Playoff Experience
GettyBrendan Gallagher brings some toughness to the Montreal Canadiens.
While Gallagher did not skate on the morning of April 29, Kapanen did. As LeBrun claims, this would suggest that Gallagher will take the youngster’s spot in the Montreal Canadiens lineup in game five. If so, it would be the first time that the rookie forward sits out of a playoff game this year.
According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, St. Louis would not confirm if the veteran would definitely play on Wednesday. Nevertheless, the Canadiens coach did potentially hint at the switch. “There’s no doubt if [Gallagher] plays, he’s going to give you everything he has,” St. Louis told reporters on April 29. “I think he does that every game.”
Gallagher, 33, has played his entire NHL career with Montreal. He recently recorded 23 points (seven goals) in 77 regular-season games with the Canadiens in the 2025-26 season. Although he may not light up the scoreboard, the forward does have plenty of playoff experience. Gallagher has featured in 76 postseason games for the club throughout his career.
Montreal Needs an Offensive Boost Outside of Their Top Line
Assuming Gallagher is inserted into the lineup, the biggest question would be where St. Louis will deploy him. Nothing is set in stone, but Engels believes that the veteran could feature alongside Danault and Josh Anderson. The move would subsequently push Jake Evans out of the second line and potentially beside Alex Newhook and Demidov. This would make sense as Kapanen has featured on this line as of late.
St. Louis and the Montreal Canadiens will be looking for an offensive boost heading towards game five. So far, the Habs are averaging 2.75 goals per game in the playoffs. They are also averaging just 23.3 shots per game against the Lightning. This is the lowest figure of any team in the postseason.
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