Montreal Canadiens @ Arizona Coyotes
How to watch
Start time: 10:00 PM EDT / 7:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN Direct (English), RDS, RDS Direct (French)
In the Coyotes region: Fox Sports Arizona
Streaming: NHL.tv / NHL Live
After a stretch in which the Canadiens played two games in nine days, their schedule now gets a bit hectic. A western road trip begins this evening in Arizona, with the third and final game played on Saturday versus the Dallas Stars.
The Coyotes are looking good to this point of the season, currently ranked as the league’s second-best defence with a stingy goals against per game of just over two. It’s a test for Montreal offence, which ranks in the top five thanks to a four-line offensive depth, but was also shut down by the strong defensive system of the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. How the players and coaches deal with the Coyotes’ approach will be the thing to pay attention to tonight.
Perhaps the solution will be to put the defence under pressure, as the Canadiens did on Saturday versus the Leafs. Defenders had no time to make plays as Montreal’s forwards were right in their faces, and such a tactic could work again.
The same players from that victory will be in action at Gila River Arena. Claude Julien was satisfied with how that group responded, and the consistency of all the lines and pairings, and hopes the group can come up with another winning effort.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Tomas Tatar | Phillip Danault | Brendan Gallagher |
| Jonathan Drouin | Max Domi | Joel Armia |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | Paul Byron |
| Nick Cousins | Nate Thompson | Nick Suzuki |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Victor Mete | Shea Weber |
| Ben Chiarot | Jeff Petry |
| Mikey Reilly | Cale Fleury |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Keith Kinkaid |
| Carey Price |
Scratches: Christian Folin, Brett Kulak, Jordan Weal
Arizona Coyotes projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton Keller | Christian Dvorak | Phil Kessel |
| Michael Grabner | Derek Stepan | Vincent Hinostroza |
| Barrett Hayton | Nick Schmaltz | Conor Garland |
| Lawson Crouse | Carl Soderberg | Christian Fischer |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | Jason Demers |
| Jakob Chychrun | Alex Goligoski |
| Aaron Ness | Ilya Lyubushkin |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Darcy Kuemper |
| Antti Raanta |
