Game 18: Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Bruins region: NESN
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
Dropping the last two games by a combined score of 12-1, and losing one of their top goal-scorers in the process, the Canadiens needed a boost going into the game versus the Boston Bruins. While the circumstances weren’t ideal, Jared Davidson’s recall could be the spark that the offence needs to get going. He’s been lighting up the AHL this season with nine goals in 13 games after finishing last year with 24 goals, and maybe that confidence can spread to new teammates who are struggling a bit this week.
More importantly, the Canadiens need a good response in net. They haven’t been receiving timely saves during this slump, which just leads to more frustration from forwards who can’t get the puck to go in. Samuel Montembeault gets the nod after coming on in relief of Jakub Dobeš versus the Dallas Stars, and it’s always quite clear with him from the first shot or two whether he’s on his game. Montreal can’t afford to let the Bruins get a quick goal and play most of the game with a lead, so some early stops to get the crowd in the game and the players some faith in their last line of defence will be critical.
The winner of tonight’s game will improve to 24 points on the season and hold the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens would have a significant advantage over the Bruins if they nab the win by not only breaking the current tie of 22 points, but also having two games in hand on a team that will wrap up the opening quarter of its schedule this evening.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #13 Cole Caufield |
#14 Nick Suzuki |
#20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #93 Ivan Demidov |
#91 Oliver Kapanen |
#77 Kirby Dach |
| #76 Zachary Bolduc |
#71 Jake Evans |
#17 Josh Anderson |
| #49 Jared Davidson |
#90 Joe Veleno |
#11 Brendan Gallagher |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #8 Mike Matheson |
#53 Noah Dobson |
| #47 Jayden Struble |
#48 Lane Hutson |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj |
#45 Alexandre Carrier |
| Starter |
Backup |
| #35 Samuel Montembeault |
#75 Jakub Dobeš |
Injured: Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook
Boston Bruins projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| Morgan Geekie |
Marat Khusnutdinov |
David Pastrnak |
| Alex Steeves |
Pavel Zacha |
Viktor Arvidsson |
| Tanner Jeanot |
Fraser Minten |
Mark Kastelic |
| Jeffrey Viel |
Sean Kuraly |
Mikey Eyssimont |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| Nikita Zadorov |
Charlie McAvoy |
| Hampus Lindholm |
Andrew Peeke |
| Mason Lohrei |
Jonathan Aspirot |
| Starter |
Backup |
| Jeremy Swayman |
Joonas Korpisalo |
