Canadiens vs. Wild: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch

Montreal Canadiens vs. Minnesota Wild

How to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN Direct (English), RDS, RDS Direct (French)
In the Wild region: Fox Sports North
Streaming: NHL.tv / NHL Live

Montreal wasn’t able to pull off a win, not even with a multi-goal comeback that had become their hallmark in the opening week of the season, on Tuesday night. The loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning gave them an even 2-2-2 record, putting them on pace for just an 82-point season — not nearly enough to qualify for the post-season.

The team needs to start compiling more wins than losses, and tonight’s game is one from which the Canadiens should take both available points. The Minnesota Wild have struggled out of the gate with just a single win in six game, and only 14 goals scored.

The Canadiens can’t be the club that allows them to get back on track, especially considering they’ll be adversaries once again on Sunday. To that end, Claude Julien has made one change on defence in an effort to stop the bleeding of goals against, as Cale Fleury makes his return to the lineup. The hope is that he can better prevent plays from happening around the net, but with only two games of NHL experience and more than a week off from the game, he will have to overcome some rust, rookie jitters, or both very early on.

A similar approach with the forward group sees Nick Cousins dress for his first game in a Montreal Canadiens jersey, and Jordan Weal is the one forced out to make room. We’ll see how he walks the line between wanting to make a good impression to stay in the lineup and remaining disciplined with his physical play.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Forwards

Defencemen

Goaltenders

Minnesota Wild projected lineup

Forwards

Defencemen

Goaltenders