Game 30: Montreal Canadiens @ Winnipeg Jets
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East/West (English), TVA Sports (French)
Streaming: ESPN+ Sportsnet+
Patrik Laine returns to his first NHL city with what is now his third team. He’s said a couple of times since making his Canadiens debut five games ago that he’s having the most fun he has in years, but that probably wasn’t the case in the third period on Thursday when he and his teammates were outscored 6-0. Everyone has a lot to prove after that disaster, and they will attempt to do so versus the team that currently sits in second place in the league standings.
Martin St-Louis has made changes to his lineup, but it’s not the purée setting on the blender he’s chosen this time. He has simply swapped Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovský’s places in the top six, reuniting the top line that finished so strongly last season. Perhaps the hope is that Newhook’s speed, which has benefited Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in recent games, can help Kirby Dach see more time in the offensive zone.
David Savard, who was a late pull from the lineup on Thursday, is a game-time decision for tonight’s match, and may be unable to go once again. It’s a battle between Samuel Montembeault and Connor Hellebuyck in net, and Montembeault will be a busy man trying to outperform the odds-on favourite to be Team USA’s starter in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #13 Cole Caufield |
#14 Nick Suzuki |
#20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #92 Patrik Laine |
#77 Kirby Dach |
#35 Alex Newhook |
| #17 Josh Anderson |
#28 Christian Dvorak |
#11 Brendan Gallagher |
| #51 Emil Heineman |
#71 Jake Evans |
#40 Joel Armia |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #48 Lane Hutson |
#8 Mike Matheson |
| #21 Kaiden Guhle |
#52 Justin Barron |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj |
#58 David Savard |
| Starter |
Backup |
| #35 Samuel Montembeault |
#30 Cayden Primeau |
Scratched: Michael Pezzetta, Jayden Struble
Winnipeg Jets projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| Kyle Connor |
Mark Scheifele |
Gabriel Vilardi |
| Cole Perfetti |
Vladislav Namestnikov |
Nikita Chibrikov |
| Nino Niederreiter |
Adam Lowry |
Mason Appleton |
| Morgan Barron |
Rasmus Kupari |
Alex Iafallo |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| Josh Morrissey |
Dylan DeMelo |
| Haydn Fleury |
Neal Pionk |
| Logan Stanley |
Colin Miller |
| Starter |
Backup |
| Connor Hellebuyck |
Eric Comrie |
