Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

How to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet One, CityTV, Sportsnet Now (English), TVA Sports (French)
Elsewhere: NHL.tv / Rogers NHL Live

The Canadiens play the fifth and final game of their homestand this evening. After a successful 3-0-1 start, they can cap it off in style with a victory over the Maple Leafs; one that would vault them over tonight’s opponent should it happen in regulation time.

To help them on that quest, Montreal will have the services of Andrew Shaw, back in the lineup for the first time since New Year’s Eve after dealing with a neck injury. Even after missing a month of action, he should provide the team with an element it was missing in his absence.

Shaw makes his trio with Max Domi and Tomas Tatar much more dangerous, and that will complement what the Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi lines have been doing over the last few games. There will be few breaks for the Leafs’ defence with this configuration, and with last change Claude Julien can get the matchups he wants against one of the league’s top forward groups.

Montreal is eager to show that they have what it takes to compete with the top teams, while the Leafs will want to prove that they deserve to be ahead in the standings. This rivalry rarely disappoints even when the teams are far apart in terms of points, so on a night when they’re directly battling for position, the game should have even more of a playoff atmosphere.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Toronto Maple Leafs projected lineup