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

Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers

How to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Panthers region: Bally Sports Florida

For the first time in 2022-23, the teams tied to the first-round picks the Canadiens hold for the 2023 NHL Draft square off. The ideal result from the game, as far as the draft is concerned, is that it finishes in regulation, with no loser point to boost a team’s place in the standings.

That’s mostly for those of us looking at the Habs’ long-term future. For the players on the ice, they will be happy with some big returns on both sides. Florida gets top-line centre Aleksander Barkov back after a brief absence. The Panthers haven’t been good all year long, but they were particularly bad without the star forward, losing the three games he missed.

Montreal receives Brendan Gallagher back to the formation, and hopefully the long stint away has helped him recover from the injury he was dealing with. He hadn’t looked anything like his usual self to start the year, and comes into tonight’s action with just eight points. A Habs team that has struggled to score needs him to be a factor to give it a chance.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched: Michael Pezzetta, Anthony Richard, Chris Wideman
Injured: Paul Byron, Mike Matheson, Sean Monahan, David Savard

Florida Panthers projected lineup