Canadiens @ Maple Leafs: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch
Yes. It is October. And yes. Hockey is back! Oooohhh Baby!
Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs
How to watch
Puck drop: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet, Sportsnet Now
In the Canadiens region: RDS, RDS Direct
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/Rogers NHL Live
October 3 is upon us and the new-look Montreal Canadiens are taking on the William Nylander-less Toronto Maple Leafs to open their season. It also signals Max Domi’s return from a five-game suspension for punching Aaron Ekblad during the pre-season.
The Habs are turning over a new leaf this season after trading captain Max Pacioretty on the eve of training camp. They have named team dad Shea Weber the new captain, thoiugh he remains out of the lineup until further notice.
While the Habs forward corps is solid if unspectacular, the defence looks like it could be iffy, especially because it depends on the performance of two young players: Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen.
Both teams finalized their rosters last night. The Habs placed forward Jacob de la Rose on Injured Reserve after he had a cardiac event. Head coach Claude Julien did not seem overly concerned, but stated that the team is following the doctors’ orders.
Carey Price is expected to start tonight and will be facing Frederik Andersen in the opposite net.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #90 Tomas Tatar | #24 Phillip Danault | #11 Brendan Gallagher |
| #92 Jonathan Drouin | #15 Jesperi Kotkaniemi | #40 Joel Armia |
| #41 Paul Byron | #13 Max Domi | #62 Artturi Lehkonen |
| #65 Andrew Shaw | #63 Matthew Peca | #54 Charles Hudon |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #53 Victor Mete | #26 Jeff Petry |
| #28 Mikey Reilly | #58 Noah Juulsen |
| #8 Jordie Benn | #61 Xavier Ouellet |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| #31 Carey Price |
| #37 Antti Niemi |
Toronto Maple Leafs projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Marleau | Auston Matthews | Tyler Ennis |
| Zach Hyman | John Tavares | Mitch Marner |
| Josh Leivo | Nazem Kadri | Connor Brown |
| Andreas Johnsson | Par Lindholm | Kasperi Kapanen |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Morgan Rielly | Ron Hainsey |
| Jake Gardiner | Nikita Zaitsev |
| Travis Dermott | Igor Ozhiganov |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Frederik Andersen |
| Garret Sparks |