The Caps are part of Monday night’s third course; they’ll host the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series between the two long ago Norris Division co-tenants.

The Lightning won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021, falling short of the three-peat in a loss to the Avalanche in 2022. Tampa Bay has three titles in franchise history, the consecutive wins in '20 ...