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

Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks

How to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Blackhawks region: NBC Sports Chicago
Streaming: ESPN+, NHL Live, RDS Direct, TSN Direct

When the siren sounds to bring the first period to a close tonight, the Montreal Canadiens will officially be a third of the way through the 2021-22 season; one of the first teams to hit that stage. They will have a grand total of 15 points at that time, three more than an Arizona Coyotes team with a roster largely constructed from dead contracts.

In one way, the Canadiens are similar to the team at the bottom of the standings, with a massive portion of cap space currently allotted to players not able to perform. The Habs’ top three defencemen from last year’s playoff run are all out, as is half of the forward corps the front office had put together to start the season.

Even so, Montreal posed a proper challenge to the Tampa Bay Lightning last game, proving that the depth that has been amassed is at least competent enough to hang with NHL teams. Tonight there will be at least one player on three of the lines who was likely to spend the season in the AHL had Montreal’s 23-man roster been able to stay intact through the year.

That means plenty of impressions to be made, and so far few of the call-ups have disappointed. Ryan Poehling and Michael Pezzetta have ridden great starts in the AHL to confident shifts with the big team. Last game, Laurent Dauphin looked quite good in limited minutes in his Habs debut and first NHL game in nearly three years. This evening, it’s Jesse Ylönen’s turn to draw in, getting his second NHL game after being brought up for the season finale in May. What can the 22-year-old Finn show a team solely focused on the future?

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Chicago Blackhawks projected lineup