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

A decimated Florida Panthers team is in Montreal to take on the surging Habs.

Mar 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis (26) defends against Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) in the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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

Left Wing Centre Right Wing
#20 Juraj Slafkovský #91 Oliver Kapanen #93 Ivan Demidov
#13 Cole Caufield #14 Nick Suzuki #85 Alexandre Texier
#76 Zachary Bolduc #24 Phillip Danault #11 Brendan Gallagher
#27 Sammy Blais #90 Joe Veleno #62 Owen Beck
Left Defence Right Defence
#8 Mike Matheson #53 Noah Dobson
#48 Lane Hutson #45 Alexandre Carrier
#72 Arber Xhekaj #47 Jayden Struble
Starter Backup
#35 Samuel Montembeault #75 Jakub Dobeš

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

Florida Panthers projected lineup

Left Wing Centre Right Wing
Eetu Luostarinen Anton Lundell Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe Sam Bennett A.J. Greer
Jesper Boqvist Evan Rodrigues Mackie Samoskevich
Noah Gregor Luke Kunin Jack Studnicka
Left Defence Right Defence
Gustav Forsling Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola Uvis Balinskis
Donovan Sebrango Jeff Petry
Starter Backup
Sergei Bobrovsky Daniil Tarasov

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