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

Game 44: Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Panthers region: Scripps
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+

If you were looking forward to seeing some retribution from the Canadiens for Brad Marchand’s hit on Mike Matheson in their last meeting that forced the Habs defenceman to miss a couple of games, you won’t find any satisfaction tonight as Marchand is out of the lineup. Also out is defenceman Seth Jones, who sustained an injury several days ago and will miss a couple of weeks.

What was already a Panthers lineup considerably weakened by injuries is now nearly unrecognizable with only a handful of the players who won the Stanley Cup a season ago set to play tonight. After Sam Reinhart and his 44 points through 42 games, the Panthers’ next-highest scorers are Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell at 31. It’s a formation not a whole lot different from the one Montreal just played last night when Calgary visited, with the differences being better team play and of course their championship pedigree.

Samuel Montembeault has been tasked with shutting down the offensive players who remain. He has done that well enough over the past couple of years, and can really solidify Montreal’s standing in the Atlantic Division if he can back his team to a fifth win in six games dating back to the first meeting of the season between these two teams.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched: Jacob Fowler
Injured: Josh Anderson, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook

Florida Panthers projected lineup