Canadiens vs. Lightning: game thread, roster, lines, and how to watch
The Habs take on their struggling divisional rivals.
The Montreal Canadiens will be beginning their usual post-Christmas Florida state road trip as they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first time this season.
The Canadiens did not go into the break finishing as they would have hoped, having lost their last two games against the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. They will look to turn things around as they face off against Tampa Bay, who have been performing under expectations as they currently sit outside a playoff spot.
Like the Habs, the Lightning have a plethora of injuries to key players. Ben Bishop, Ryan Callahan, Cedric Paquette and Steven Stamkos will all be out of the lineup. They did receive some good news, with Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov returning tonight, which will make the job for the Canadiens a little more difficult.
The Canadiens will still be without Andrei Markov, who did not join the team for the road trip. They do get Alexei Emelin back from paternal leave, who should be playing beside Shea Weber again. Nathan Beaulieu will rejoin Jeff Petry on the second defence pairing, the latter scoring five goals in his last seven games.
The Canadiens recalled defenceman Ryan Johnston to cover for Markov staying home. He will be ready to jump into the lineup if called upon. Expect Andrei Vasilevskiy to start, as he takes over the number one goaltender position in Tampa, especially with Bishop hurt. Carey Price will start in goal for Montreal.
How to watch
Puck drop: 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST
In Canada: SN360 & SN East (English), RDS (French)
In the United States: FOX Sports Sun
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL Gamecenter Live, NHL Center Ice
Projected Montréal Canadiens Lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Max Pacioretty | Phillip Danault | Alexander Radulov |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Tomas Plekanec | Paul Byron |
| Sven Andrighetto | Torrey Mitchell | Brian Flynn |
| Daniel Carr | Michael McCarron | Chris Terry |
Defence
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Alexei Emelin | Shea Weber |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Jeff Petry |
| Mark Barberio | Zach Redmond |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Carey Price |
| Al Montoya |
Injured: Alex Galchenyuk (knee), David Desharnais (knee), Greg Pateryn (fractured ankle), Andrew Shaw (concussion), Andrei Markov (lower-body)
Projected Tampa Bay Lightning Lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Parise | Eric Staal | Charlie Coyle |
| Jason Zucker | Mikko Koivu | Mikael Granlund |
| Nino Neiderreiter | Erik Haula | Jason Pominville |
| Chris Stewart | Tyler Graovac | Jordan Schroeder |
Defence
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Ryan Suter | Jared Spurgeon |
| Jonas Brodin | Christian Folin |
| Marco Scandella | Matt Dumba |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Devan Dubnyk |
| Darcy Kuemper |
Scratched: Nikita Nesterov
Injured: Ryan Callahan (lower body), Cedric Paquette (lower body), Steven Stamkos (knee), Ben Bishop (lower body)