The Montreal Canadiens are playing their first of two matinee games this weekend. They start off with this afternoon’s game versus the Anaheim Ducks before hosting the Ottawa Senators tomorrow.
The Ducks have been on a charge over the last seven weeks of the season, being one of the NHL’s top teams in that span to grab a playoff spot in the West.
Ryan Getzlaf has been the catalyst of the turnaround, and now has 31 points in the 28 games he’s been able to play this season. The captain has been held pointless in his last three matches however, and will be hoping to end that streak today.
For the Canadiens, Nikita Scherbak is back in the lineup for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in October. He has been playing with the Laval Rocket in recent weeks after his recovery, and has been very impressive for the AHL team this season, scoring at well above a point-per-game pace on a team that has underachieved.
He will be given a prime opportunity to carry that offence over to the NHL today, as he’ll be playing alongside Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin. It is the most skilled trio the Canadiens will dress by far, and it will be interesting to see what they’re able to do with the offensive-zone time.
Logan Shaw also draws back into the lineup to take on the team that placed him on waivers. On defence, Jakub Jerabek will watch the game from the press box with David Schlemko back in after a one-game scratch.
Antti Niemi gets the call between the pipes, with Carey Price getting the intradivisional start versus the Senators on Sunday.
Puck drop is at 1:00 PM EST / 10:00 AM PST
How to watch
In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN GO (English), RDS (French)
In the Ducks region: FS-W
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL GameCentre Live, NHL Center Ice
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Nikita Scherbak | Phillip Danault | Artturi Lehkonen |
| Alex Galchenyuk | Jonathan Drouin | Brendan Gallagher |
| Paul Byron | Jacob de la Rose | Logan Shaw |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | Byron Froese | Andrew Shaw |
Defence
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Jordie Benn | Jeff Petry |
| Karl Alzner | Noah Juulsen |
| Mike Reilly | David Schlemko |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Antti Niemi |
| Charlie Lindgren |
Scratched: Daniel Carr, Jacob de la Rose, David Schlemko
Injured: Shea Weber (foot), Ales Hemsky (concussion), Andrew Shaw (lower-body), Phillip Danault (concussion)
Anaheim Ducks projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Marchand | Riley Nash | David Pastrnak |
| Jake DeBrusk | David Krejci | Rick Nash |
| Tommy Wingels | David Backes | Brian Gionta |
| Tim Schaller | Sean Kuraly | Noel Acciari |
Defence
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Zdeno Chara | Charlie McAvoy |
| Torey Krug | Kevan Miller |
| Nick Holden | Brandon Carlo |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Tuukka Rask |
| Anton Khudobin |
