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

Montreal Canadiens vs. Colorado Avalanche

How to watch

Start time: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet East (English)
In the Canadiens region: RDS (French)
In the U.S.: NHL Network
In the Avalanche region: Altitude
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS Direct, Sportsnet Now

The Colorado Avalanche were the best team in the Western Conference at the end of the 2021-22 season, going on to win the Stanley Cup in just 20 post-season games. A little bit of roster turnover and a lot of injuries haven’t just seen them lose their grip on the top spot, but coming into tonight’s game they’re just five points up on the charging Nashville Predators for the final wild-card spot.

Still missing from the lineup are goaltender Pavel Francouz, defencemen Erik Johnson and Josh Manson, and one of their big three, Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado has had a tough time winning games without them recently, needing overtime to knock off the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, and they need to string some wins together to gain some separation and feel more comfortable in their playoff positioning.

Montreal is their first stop on a four-game trip through the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens aren’t having much luck getting themselves in the win column either, but that’s more by design than a failure to meet high expectations. It’s all about setting up for next season for the Habs, and to that end Martin St-Louis has switched up his forward lines once again to test some new combinations. There will be an elevated role for Denis Gurianov after he was the lone goal-scorer on Saturday, as Nick Suzuki and Chris Tierney swap linemates from the start of that game. The aim is an increase in offence, and another competitive match in front of the home crowd.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched:
Injured/Ill: Joel Armia, Justin Barron, Paul Byron, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Jordan Harris, Sean Monahan, Juraj Slafkovský, Arber Xhekaj

Colorado Avalanche projected lineup