Schedule and 2020-21 Results
Regular Season Records: Tampa Bay 36-17-3=75pts, Montreal 24-21-11=59pts
Game 1 on Monday, 28 June: Montreal loses at Tampa Bay, 5-goals-1
Game 2 on Wednesday, 30 June: Montreal loses at Tampa Bay, 3-goals-1
Game 3 on Friday, 02 July: Tampa Bay wins at Montreal, 6-goals-3
Game 4 on Monday, 05 July: Tampa Bay loses at Montreal, 3-goals-2(OT)
Game 5 on Wednesday, 07 July: Montreal loses at Tampa Bay, 1-goal-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and shut out the Montreal Canadiens 1-goal-nil to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1466 victory. With the series 1466 win, the Tampa Bay Lightning improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 22-10 (with an active eight-series winning streak befitting a newly-crowned two-time defending NHL champion) overall and 3-1 in the Finals round. With the series 1466 loss, the Montreal Canadiens see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 80-43 overall and 20-8 in the Finals round. The win order for the victorious Tampa Bay Lightning in series 1466 was WWWLW: Series 1466 thus becomes the fifth NHL Finals-round series, the 53rd NHL series (all rounds), and the 99th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion.

After Game 4: The Montreal Canadiens hosted and topped the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-goals-2(OT) to drop the Tampa Bay Lightning best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1466 lead to 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 12-0 and a Game 5 record of 8-4. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 3-18 and a Game 5 record of 11-10. Irrespective of Games 1-4 outcomes, the Montreal Canadiens have an active four-Game 5 winning streak in best-of-7 NHL playoff series. The Montreal Canadiens surmounted a 3-games-1 deficit in the last series which they had trailed 3-games-1, over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2021 NHL Preliminary round.

After Game 3: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and bested the Montreal Canadiens 6-goals-3 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1466 lead of 3-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 3-0 and a Game 4 record of 2-1. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 0-11 and a Game 4 record of 6-5. Since the Montreal Canadiens have not yet once led in series 1466, they are on the precipice of an annihilation.

After Game 2: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and topped the Montreal Canadiens 3-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1466 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 8-0 and a Game 3 record of 3-5 (with an active five-Game 3 losing streak). When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 5-18 (with an active five-series losing streak) and a Game 3 record of 12-11. Series 1466 is the first NHL Finals series since 2017 in which a team has taken a 2-games-nil lead. The Montreal Canadiens won the 1966 and 1971 NHL Finals upon having trailed 2-games-nil.

After Game 1: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1466 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 11-2 (with an active five-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 8-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 17-31 and a Game 2 record of 25-23. The Tampa Bay Lightning have an active six-Game 2 winning streak irrespective of Game 1 outcome in best-of-7 NHL playoff series.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2020-21 NHL regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning finished sixteen points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. From 1939 through the 2021 NHL Semifinals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by sixteen regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 13-5 (.722) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1466 is the 32nd best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the 123rd for the Montreal Canadiens. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Tampa Bay Lightning have an all-rounds series record of 21-10 (with an active seven-series winning streak), a Finals-round series record of 2-1, and a Game 1 record of 13-18, while the Montreal Canadiens have an all-rounds series record of 80-42, a Finals-round series record of 20-7, and a Game 1 record of 74-48. Series 1466 is the fourth best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the 2004 and 2015 NHL Quarterfinals, while the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2014 NHL Preliminary round.