Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: Sportsnet, Sportsnet Now (English), TVA Sports (French)
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/Rogers NHL Live
The last time the Canadiens and Senators met, Montreal walked away with a second 5-2 win over their division rival in three days. With a 2-1 record from three meeting with the Sens this year, the Habs can secure the season series with a victory in the final meeting between the clubs in 2018-19.
That means the teams likely won’t face each other until at least next October, so any pent-up animosity will need to be released tonight. The Canadiens will be quite happy to see the Senators lining up opposite them, but the feeling likely isn’t mutual for the Senators after back-to-back convincing defeats.
Montreal would prefer to put their effort into scoring goals. Despire two low-scoring affairs to wrap up the recent road trip, the Canadiens have netted at least five goals four times already this month.
It’s not the typical players running the offence for the Canadiens. While team leaders Max Domi and Brendan Gallagher have each added three goals in December, Artturi Lehkonen leads the forwards with four tallies. Jeff Petry has everyone beat with five this month, including two in the 6-4 victory over Carolina on Thursday.
As has been the case for both teams this season, there will be plenty of chances for teams to get on the scoreboard. It all sets up what should be an entertaining battle at the Bell Centre this evening.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Tomas Tatar | Phillip Danault | Brendan Gallagher |
| Jonathan Drouin | Max Domi | Andrew Shaw |
| Paul Byron | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | Artturi Lehkonen |
| Matthew Peca | Michael Chaput | Kenny Agostino |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Brett Kulak | Shea Weber |
| Mikey Reilly | Jeff Petry |
| Jordie Benn | Noah Juulsen |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Carey Price |
| Antti Niemi |
Ottawa Senators projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Brady Tkachuk | Colin White | Mark Stone |
| Mikkel Boedker | Chris Tierney | Bobby Ryan |
| Ryan Dzingel | Zack Smith | Magnus Paajarvi |
| Erik Burgdoerfer | Nick Paul | Drake Batherson |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Thomas Chabot | Ben Harpur |
| Maxime Lajoie | Cody Ceci |
| Justin Falk | Stefan Elliott |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Mike McKenna |
| Craig Anderson |
