Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch

Montreal Canadiens vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

How to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN Direct (English), RDS, RDS Direct (French)
In the Blue Jackets region: Fox Sports Ohio
Streaming: NHL.tv/ NHL Live

Claude Julien is happy with the formation that came away with a 3-2 victory on Saturday night, sticking with the same lines and pairings for the brief homestand finale tonight. It was thought that Jesperi Kotkaniemi would be set to return for tonight’s game, but with two more off days after this one, the decision was to wait to make sure it isn’t something that will flare up once more.

The Canadiens got some scoring from their power play — more specifically Shea Weber on the power play. The captain may get a chance to replicate that success versus a Columbus Blue Jackets penalty kill that doesn’t fare much better than Montreal’s.

After an off-season of turnover, the Blue Jackets are giving up the ninth-most goals in the league and scoring the second-fewest. On paper, this should be a convincing win for Montreal, but NHL teams have a knack for pulling off surprises when you count them out before the games are played. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes (twice) saw that first-hand, so Montreal will need to stay on its toes versus a team with a bite worse than its bark.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Injured: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Scratched: Christian Folin, Mikey Reilly, Jordan Weal

Columbus Blue Jackets projected lineup