Among a hustling crowd present at the Bell Centre on Thursday to witness the exhilarating showdown between Atlantic Division stars, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens, was Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Canadiens took the 2-1 win in a game that kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout, earning Carney’s praise.
Prime Minister Mark Carney Lights Up the Bell Centre at Lightning vs. Canadiens
The Canadiens picked up their 10th win in the last 11 games this time against formidable division rivals, the Lightning. Both teams have secured playoff berths, with Montreal being one place above Tampa in the Atlantic Division standings with 104 points. Following their loss against the Canadiens, the Lightning have a three-game losing streak.
PM Carney has been a lifelong Edmonton Oilers fan and even participated in a morning skate at Rogers Place in March 2025, wearing a No. 24 blue-and-orange jersey, just before a Winnipeg Jets-Oilers game. Following his love of hockey, Carney attended the Tampa-Montreal game.
Furthermore, the Canadian prime minister expressed admiration for the arena’s incredible energy and congratulated the Canadiens on their phenomenal achievement.
What a game. What a crowd.
Well done, @CanadiensMTL. pic.twitter.com/SoilRu4OV2
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) April 10, 2026
While the Canadiens ultimately won, the match was unbelievably close. The first period was uneventful, with neither team scoring. At 6:30 into the second period, Cole Caufield scored the game’s first goal, which also happened to be his 50th of the season. The 25-year-old winger now has 87 points in 78 games this season.
Darren Raddysh tied the game late in the third period. Just when it looked like overtime was inevitable, Juraj Slafkovsky gave the Canadiens a lead with less than two minutes left. NHL playoffs are just around the corner, and the latest Lightning-Canadiens showdown was reminiscent of typical playoff games.
“That was a good game for us to experience pretty close to what playoff hockey is. The intensity, the small plays, the importance of every puck on your stick and how close it can be,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh commented. Corey Perry also stated that the latest game against the Canadiens was surely “playoff-type”.
In this tight contest, Caufield shone the brightest. Not only is this his first 50-goal season, but his record so far proves he is getting better every year. The 25-year-old is 5’8″ tall, in a league where the average player is 6’1″. For what he lacks in size, Caufield has more than made up for it with talent and drive.
Caufield is second behind Nick Suzuki among the Habs in points this season, but leads the scoreboard in goals.
