Morning Coffee: Can Slafkovsky deliver more magic for Montreal in Game 2?

Porter Martone scored again last night.

The 19-year-old rookie who made his NHL debut three weeks ago is now the first player in NHL history to score the game-winning goal in each of his first two Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Philadelphia Flyers have won five in a row dating back to the regular season and eight of their last nine gmes overall with Martone in the lineup.

The sixth-overall pick from the 2025 NHL Entry Draft has six goals and nine points in his last eight games, helping the Flyers transition from an afterthought to reach the playoffs to a couple of wins away from the second round.

Philadelphia is 18-0 all-time when leading 2-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series – the most series-wins without a loss in Stanley Cup Playoff history.

The Flyers are -115 to win Game 3 on home ice and have gone from the underdog to -430 to advance at FanDuel.

I can’t wait to see what kind of ovation Martone receives from the home fans when the series shifts to Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, NHL teams that go up 2-0 in a best-of-seven series have gone on to advance at an 86 per cent clip all-time, which is also bad news for the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators had several opportunities to even their series against the Carolina Hurricanes before ultimately losing 3-2 in double-overtime in Game 2.

Ottawa is 0-10 when trailing 2-0 in a best-of-seven.

The Senators are a -120 favourite to bounce back with a win in Game 3, but their odds to advance have ballooned all the way to +500 at FanDuel.

The Edmonton Oilers are -465 to advance to the second round following a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks in their series opener.

As for the final Canadian playoff team, the underdog Montreal Canadiens can take a 2-0 series lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road with a win tonight.

The Habs were one of the biggest underdogs on the board at FanDuel entering their first round series.

After upsetting the Lightning in Game 1 as a +150 underdog, the Canadiens odds to advance have flipped from +240 to -105 at FanDuel.

Montreal is +152 to take a 2-0 series lead tonight.

Juraj Slafkovsky was the hero for the Habs with a hat-trick in Game 1, including the overtime winner.

Will Slafkovsky deliver more magic for Montreal tonight?

Or will the Lightning strike back on home ice?

Let’s set the stage for tonight and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet in this Morning Coffee for Tuesday April 21st, 2026.

Can Slafkovsky Deliver More Magic For Montreal In Game 2?

The Hurricanes, Lightning, and Buffalo Sabres are the top three choices to win the Eastern Conference at FanDuel.

Since January 31st, Montreal has played six games against those three opponents.

The Canadiens are a perfect 6-0 in those three games, including three wins over Tampa Bay.

While most predicted the Lightning had another gear for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was the Habs that dominated Game 1 on the road.

Sure, Tampa Bay outshot Montreal 23-19.

However, the Canadiens dominated the Lightning 8-1 in high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5.

That number doesn’t include the lethal Montreal powerplay, which went 3-for-5 in Game 1.

It’s one thing to ask the Lightning to limit the number of penalties they take in Game 2 tonight.

It’s another to expect them to completely shut down a deep and talented Habs attack that forced them into so many uncharacteristic mistakes.

That’s especially true if Slafkovsky picks up where he left off as the hero in Game 1.

Coming off his first-career 30-goal season, Habs fans have watched Slafkovsky transform from a top pick that was criticized and doubted as a young player in the NHL to a dominant power forward that has shown star potential.

Slafkovsky’s size and hands make him a nightmare for the Lightning to try to slow down, we saw when he fired a game-high seven shots on goal on 10 attempts.

Per Stathletes, Slafkovsky led Montreal with four puck carries into the slot and carries leading directly to shot attempts with eight.

Cole Caufield led the Canadiens with 51 goals and Nick Suzuki registered 101 points in the regular season.

The 22-year-old Slafkovsky is the perfect compliment to that tandem as a physical goal scorer that has learned how to use his size and skill to shine in big moments.

Can Slafkovsky create more magic for Montreal tonight?

Slafkovsky anytime goal is +200 at FanDuel.

Slafkovsky 3+ shots on goal is -104, 4+ shots on goal is +235, and 5+ shots on goal is +530.

If the Lightning do bounce back in Game 2 and the Habs are forced to play from behind, that could create more of a need for Montreal’s top line to generate shot attempts in a comeback attempt.

Regardless, Slafkovsky has now registered four or more shots on goal in four of six playoff games over the last two seasons.

As for a FanDuel Best Bet, I’ll lock in Slafkovsky 3+ shots on goal at -104.

After an electric performance in the Winter Olympics, and an outstanding start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Slafkovsky should be as confident as ever heading into Game 2 tonight.

Hopefully, he can pick up where he left off in the opener.

If he can give us even half of what he did in Game 1 from a production standpoint in terms of shots on goal, we’ll end up with another best bet winner.

Enjoy the games, everyone!