Canadiens @ Flames: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch

Montreal Canadiens @ Calgary Flames

How to watch

Start time: 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region:: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Flames region: Sportsnet West
Streaming: NHL.tv/NHL Live, RDS Direct, Sportsnet Now, TSN Direct

There’s one reason for a player to get further evaluation after an injury, and that is because surgery is on the table as one of the options. That means we’re likely going to see Ben Chiarot — who is confirmed to have a fractured hand — out of the lineup for a considerable amount of time, and in a stretch where there’s no let-up in the Canadiens’ schedule with games at least every two days.

It means that, for the first time this season, Victor Mete will probably see regular time in the lineup. Dominique Ducharme has had no qualms about shuffling effective forward lines, so we can probably expect the same for his defence corps, meaning Mete will see different partners depending on the game situation — even throughout the action tonight.

Mete will be thrown into the fire right off the bat as he faces a Flames team under new direction. The club is looking to put a bad start to the season behind it, and given the state of the North Division, they’re not out of the playoff race just yet.

Montreal is the team they’re chasing, sitting six points ahead with a game in hand. New coach Darryl Sutter and all the Flames players know how important it is to make up ground on the club occupying the final post-season place in this two-game series, and we should expect them to play one of their best games of the season.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Injured: Ben Chiarot (broken hand)
Scratched: Artturi Lehkonen

Calgary Flames projected lineup