Game 64: Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
Streaming: CBC Gem, ESPN+, Sportsnet+
The dealing is done, and NHL teams know what they will look like for the remainder of the season. Montreal made its big move a month ago by sending Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets, but they did also deal Jake Allen yesterday, meaning we can expect to a see a lot of starts for Samuel Montembeault over the final 19 games, including in tonight’s.
As contenders were adding big pieces to their rosters, the Maple Leafs opted for some depth signings, and tonight Ilya Lyubushkin and Connor Dewar will be in action, as will former Hab Joel Edmundson, who is perhaps a bit of a surprising choice over Simon Benoit who has been the best defensive player on the Maple Leafs’ blue line this season.
If the Leafs want to dress less than their ideal lineup, the Canadiens will happily take advantage. The top line looked good on the recent road trip, the second line looked great, and Josh Anderson always loves using his speed get behind Toronto’s line of defence for scoring chances.
At forward, the Leafs can’t trot out their best 12 players because Mitch Marner is out with a lower-body injury, which takes away that element of creativity from the formation. That means elevated roles for Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, and likely a more physical approach to generating offence, which Montreal’s defenders will need to be prepared for.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #22 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #89 Joshua Roy | #35 Alex Newhook | #40 Joel Armia |
| #11 Brendan Gallagher | #71 Jake Evans | #17 Josh Anderson |
| #55 Michael Pezzetta | #49 Rafaël Harvey-Pinard | #70 Tanner Pearson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #21 Kaiden Guhle |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj | #58 David Savard |
| #47 Jayden Struble | $54 Jordan Harris |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #35 Samuel Montembeault | #30 Cayden Primeau |
Injured: Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Colin White, Chris Wideman
Scratched: Johnny Kovacevic, Jesse Ylönen
Toronto Maple Leafs projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Bertuzzi | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
| Max Domi | John Tavares | Calle Jarnkrok |
| Matthew Knies | David Kampf | Bobby McMann |
| Pontus Holmberg | Connor Dewar | Ryan Reaves |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| T.J. Brodie | Jake McCabe |
| Morgan Rielly | Ilya Lyubushkin |
| Joel Edmundson | Timothy Liljegren |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| Joseph Woll | Ilya Samsonov |
