Game 78: Montreal Canadiens vs. Detroit Red Wings
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Predators region: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit X
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
It would be easy for everyone on the team to get excited about today’s signing. After standing pat at the trade deadline, the Canadiens added a piece of their future from inside their prospect ranks, and the debut of the big winger they drafted in 2024 may not be far off. But before they can get too concerned about Tyler Thorpe signing his entry-level contract, the players have some business of their own to take care of.
A desperate Detroit Red Wings team has come to town, needing the two points from tonight’s game much more than the Habs do. The Canadiens have some margin for error; the Red Wings do not. It will be hard for Montreal to muster the energy to match an opponent in need of the win, especially given how much the Canadiens have played recently.
Fortunately, Detroit isn’t a good road team, and there will be a desire among the Habs players to wrap up their playoff spot as quickly as possible. They can’t do that tonight, but they can make it almost impossible for Detroit or any other team trailing them in the standings to make up the ground in the final handful of matches.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #13 Cole Caufield |
#14 Nick Suzuki |
#20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #17 Josh Anderson |
#28 Christian Dvorak |
#11 Brendan Gallagher |
| #92 Patrik Laine |
#15 Alex Newhook |
#91 Oliver Kapanen |
| #55 Michael Pezzetta |
#71 Jake Evans |
#40 Joel Armia |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #21 Kaiden Guhle |
#48 Lane Hutson |
| #8 Mike Matheson |
#45 Alexandre Carrier |
| #47 Jayden Struble |
#72 Arber Xhekaj |
| Starter |
Backup |
| #35 Samuel Montembeault |
#75 Jakub Dobeṧ |
Scratched: Emil Heineman, Joshua Roy, David Savard
Injured: Kirby Dach
Detroit Red Wings projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| Alex DeBrincat |
Dylan Larkin |
Patrick Kane |
| Elmer Soderblom |
Marco Kasper |
Lucas Raymond |
| Jonatan Berggren |
J.T. Compher |
Vladimir Tarasenko |
| Michael Rasmussen |
Tyler Motte |
Craig Smith |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| Ben Chiarot |
Moritz Seider |
| Simon Edvinsson |
Jeff Petry |
| Albert Johansson |
Justin Holl |
| Starter |
Backup |
| Cam Talbot |
Alex Lyon |
