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

Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators

How to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: Sportsnet (English)
In the Canadiens/Senators region: RDS (French)

Following a much better game by the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, Martin St-Louis didn’t want to mess around with his lineup too much, but he has taken the opportunity to get a healthy Jonathan Drouin into some action. It’s a bit surprising that Drouin will be doing so in the centre position on the fourth line, but with Kirby Dach locked onto the first line and Jake Evans playing very well between Juraj Slafkovský and Josh Anderson last time out, the Habs were one bottom-six centre short. Rem Pitlick played that position versus the Calgary Flames, but he makes way for Drouin this evening.

We may be starting to see the strategy in the crease for back-to-back sets as well. Like they did on the west coast road trip, the Habs will be sending Samuel Montembeault out for the first game, providing a bit more rest between starts for Jake Allen to be in top form to steal a point or two in the second game if needed.

The Ottawa Senators team Montreal faces has been recovering from a difficult stretch with some good results, and they have very respectable metrics that suggest a turnaround could be imminent. It’s also a team missing a few key players, most notably Josh Norris and Tim Stützle, two top-line players, and also steady defenceman Artem Zub. With two top-end forwards missing, the Senators’ forward depth has been exposed, and it’s during those players’ minutes that Martin St-Louis hopes Drouin can make his impact.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched: Rem Pitlick
Injured: Paul Byron, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Matheson, Sean Monahan, David Savard

Ottawa Senators projected lineup