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

After a few days of getting to know their linemates’ tendencies, teams around the league are facing each other to work on getting up to speed for the regular season.

The Montreal Canadiens begin by hosting the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre tonight. With New Jersey also having a game in New York, they’ve opted to keep their star players closer to home, shipping more of their depth options north for this contest.

As a result, there won’t be many familiar names on the opposite side, but there will be plenty of players eager to make a big enough impression to stay in the mix for a roster spot. We’ve watched a Canadiens team made up of mostly AHL players hold their own versus nearly full NHL lineups in the past, and no less should be expected of tonight’s opponent.

Montreal’s group will likely be full of less-experienced players as well, as the main battles are lower in the lineup for the team, though there will still be some NHLers working to get on the same page for when the games begin to matter in October.

Puck drop is at 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT

How to watch

In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN Direct (English), RDS, RDS Direct (French)
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL GameCentre Live

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Forwards

Defencemen

Goaltenders

New Jersey Devils projected lineup

Forwards

Defencemen

Goaltenders