Josh Anderson sends message after snubbing Scott Sabourin and it’s getting attention
Josh Anderson gave Martin St. Louis the perfect answer after Game 3, and it landed just as cleanly as any hit.
That was the real story from Montreal's side this morning. Anderson did not just avoid Scott Sabourin's trap on the ice. He finished the job at the microphone too.
Late in the third period, the two were still jawing after a whistle. Sabourin was doing exactly what he is in the lineup to do.
His role is obvious right now. He is there to needle Anderson, stir up the temperature, and try to drag the Canadiens into a bad decision in a playoff series.
Anderson never gave him that opening in Game 3. That already mattered enough in the moment.
Then came the quote that really closed the loop. Asked if he was starting to get tired of Sabourin, Anderson said, “I didn't even notice him tonight. I barely saw him on the ice.”
That is not just a chirp. That is a player telling the other side its tactic is not worth his attention.
Josh Anderson: “I didn’t even notice him tonight. I didn’t see him on the ice pretty much…”
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Josh Anderson sends message after snubbing Scott Sabourin and it’s getting attention
The line stings because it goes right at the one thing Tampa Bay cannot really defend right now: Sabourin is barely playing.
He logged only 3:44 in a game that went to overtime. In a playoff game that long, that is a major drag on a bench already trying to chase a 2-1 series hole.
That is why Anderson's quote works so well. It was sharp, but it also was rooted in what everyone could see.
Jon Cooper has to ask himself a harder question now. Can Tampa really afford to keep dressing a forward for that kind of role when the series is tightening and every shift matters?
Because once a player stops getting under the other team's skin, he has to give you something else. Through this lens, Sabourin has not given the Lightning much of anything yet.
The only real danger for Montreal is what comes next. Players like Sabourin do not always stop once the obvious bait fails.
The next version can get sneakier. A bump after the whistle, a stick in traffic, a little shove into the crease, something smaller designed to light the same fuse.
That is why Anderson's discipline still matters going into Game 4. The Canadiens do not need him winning the side battle. They need him refusing to lose it.
For now, though, Montreal made its point. The Canadiens are not playing Tampa's side game, and Anderson just made that clear with one line that probably hit harder than any punch ever could.
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APRIL 25, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sebastian Aho | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brock Faber | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rickard Rakell | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Kirill Kaprizov | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mikko Rantanen | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Carter Yakemchuk | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Denver Barkey | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Cozens | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kristopher Letang | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Robertson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||