Canadiens @ Penguins: Game thread, lines, and how to watch

Game 30: Montreal Canadiens @ Pittsburgh Penguins

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

With both goalies struggling, the Montreal Canadiens have turned to their goaltender of the future for at least one start. Jacob Fowler will make his NHL debut this evening for a team that has lost a couple of games in a row, having issues preventing dangerous chances against. It could be a trial by fire for the goaltender who just turned 21 a few weeks ago, but he won’t mind the challenge.

He has actually played the Pittsburgh Penguins already this season, in net for the second half of a pre-season game on September 22. He stopped all 13 shots he faced in 35 minutes of work through regulation and overtime, and stoned four of the five players who tested him in the shootout for a 2-1 win.

It was Owen Beck who tied that tune-up game in the third period, and he is also in the lineup to replace Jake Evans. He’s joined by Adam Engström to make it all three members of Tuesday night’s recall getting into the action. Engström’s place in the formation is surprising however, not just because he’s slotting in for Arber Xhekaj instead of Jayden Struble who struggled much more the last few games, but because Engström was rotating in on Lane Hutson’s pairing with Struble at yesterday’s practice. Perhaps something has transpired over the past 30 hours or so because this seems to be a deviation from the original, and more sensible, plan.

There will once again be six rookies in the lineup, and maybe another one in the backup role if Jakub Dobeš is getting the job over Samuel Montembeault. The Penguins will be showing a bit of youth of their own, with a third line made up entirely of rookies: Rutger McGroarty, Ben Kindel, and Ville Koivunen. Despite the reluctance to trade the core players, there has still been an injection of youth into the Penguins’ lineup, so each team is getting a glimpse of its future while also playing important games with playoff implications.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched: Jakub Dobeš, Arber Xhekaj
Injured: Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook

Pittsburgh Penguins projected lineup