A seven-game road trip started for the Montreal Canadiens with an outdoor game at Lansdowne Park that may have been their work showing of the year.
The team rebounded with a 7-5 win in Vancouver and followed that up with a victory over the Calgary Flames, offering hope that the team would be able to turn around their season on an end-of-year journey that usually proves very difficult.
The hope was snuffed out with consecutive losses to the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Tampa Bay Lightning, dooming them to a losing record on the trip before the final game was played.
They play that ultimate game versus the Florida Panthers tonight, and with the season all but lost, it could very well be the last time we see this team as currently constructed take to the ice together.
Puck drop is at 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
How to watch
In Canada: CBC, City (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Panthers region: FS-Florida
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: Jacob de la Rose, Nicolas Deslauriers, Brett Lernout
Injured: Shea Weber (foot), Ales Hemsky (concussion), Al Montoya (concussion)
Florida Panthers 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 |
