The injury-ravaged Montreal Canadiens are in Pittsburgh tonight to face the Penguins for the last game in 2016. The last time the two teams met the Canadiens won in their home opener, but both teams will look very different thanks to injuries to key players.
Two players who are not injured for the Pittsburgh Penguins are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby is leading the league in goals, while Malkin is playing like the dominant player he is.
This poses a problem for the Canadiens, as they are down their top two centres still, with Phillip Danault filling the role on the first line and Torrey Mitchell on the second. The Habs’ strong wingers have been allowing for the less-than-optimal centre situation to not be a crippling issue, and they need to continue their strong play for the Habs to have a chance tonight.
On defence, the Penguins might get Kris Letang back tonight, which would be a huge boon for their defensive corps. The Canadiens will have either Ryan Johnston or Zach Redmond with Mark Barberio on the third pair. The crux of the Habs defence lies with Jeff Petry and his strong play. Without it, the Canadiens would be in further trouble as Andrei Markov remains out with a groin injury.
For once, the Habs are on the main CBC network, for Hockey Night in Canada with the Toronto Maple Leafs off tonight before they play in an outdoor game tomorrow.
How to Watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CBC (English), TVA (French)
Pittsburgh Area: Root Sports PIT
Everywhere Else: NHL.tv/GameCentre Live, NHL Centre Ice
Projected Montreal Canadiens lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Max Pacioretty | Phillip Danault | Brendan Gallagher |
| Paul Byron | Torrey Mitchell | Alexander Radulov |
| Arturri Lehkonen | Tomas Plekanec | Brian Flynn |
| Chris Terry | Michael McCarron | Daniel Carr |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Alexei Emelin | Shea Weber |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Jeff Petry |
| Mark Barberio | Ryan Johnston |
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Carey Price |
| Al Montoya |
Scratched: Zach Redmond, Sven Andrighetto
Injured: Andrei Markov (groin), Greg Pateryn (ankle), Alex Galchenyuk (knee), David Desharnais (knee), Andrew Shaw (concussion)
Projected Pittsburgh Penguins lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Conor Sheary | Sidney Crosby | Bryan Rust |
| Chris Kunitz | Evgeni Malkin | Patrik Hornqvist |
| Carl Hagelin | Nick Bonino | Phil Kessel |
| Scott Wilson | Matt Cullen | Eric Fehr |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Trevor Daley | Justin Schultz |
| Ian Cole | Chad Ruhwedel |
| Derrick Pouliot | Steve Oleksy |
| Goalies |
|---|
| Marc-Andre Fleury |
| Matt Martin |
Injured: Olli Maatta (illness), Tom Kunhackl (lower-body injury), Kris Letang (lower-body injury/game-time decision), Brian Domoulin (broken jaw)
