Game 15: Montreal Canadiens vs. Vancouver Canucks
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Canucks region: Sportsnet Pacific
Streaming: ESPN+, TSN+, RDS, Sportsnet+
Heading into last night’s game versus the Boston Bruins, there was hope that the Canadiens could at least survive versus one of the top clubs in the league. Maybe they could win the special-teams battle, or Samuel Montembeault could steal a point in the game. Rather than hang on for dear life, Montreal actually controlled the play for much of the night, coming away two well-deserved points for an outstanding effort.
Now facing the top offence in the NHL on Sunday night (and also one of the top defensive teams), there will be a bit more confidence in a good result, though the Canucks will be eager for a bounceback after a blowout loss in Toronto on Saturday. The two goals they scored were far below their season average, and that will probably mean a serious test of Montreal’s defence.
The Habs may have to do it without Jordan Harris, listed as a game-time decision with the upper-body that ended his game versus Boston early. The team has activated Gustav Lindström just in case. Also looking for a bounceback will be Jake Allen, whose last appearance was a short one against the Tampa Bay Lightning when he allowed four goals on nine shots. Cayden Primeau and Montembeault have combined to string consecutive wins together, and a strong performance from Allen could give Montreal its first stretch of three wins this season.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #22 Cole Caufield |
#28 Christian Dvorak |
#20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #70 Tanner Pearson |
#91 Sean Monahan |
#11 Brendan Gallagher |
| #35 Alex Newhook |
#14 Nick Suzuki |
#17 Josh Anderson |
| #55 Michael Pezzetta |
#71 Jake Evans |
#49 Rafaël Harvey-Pinard |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #21 Kaiden Guhle |
#26 Johnny Kovacevic |
| #8 Mike Matheson |
#52 Justin Barron |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj |
$54 Jordan Harris |
| Starter |
Backup |
| #34 Jake Allen |
#35 Samuel Montembeault |
Injured: Kirby Dach, David Savard, Chris Wideman
Scratched: Gustav Lindström, Cayden Primeau, Jesse Ylönen
Vancouver Canucks projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| Ilya Mikheyev |
Elias Pettersson |
Andrei Kuzmenko |
| Phil Di Giuseppe |
J.T. Miller |
Brock Boeser |
| Dakota Joshua |
Pius Suter |
Conor Garland |
| Teddy Blueger |
Sam Lafferty |
Anthony Beauvillier |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| Quinn Hughes |
Filip Hronek |
| Carson Soucy |
Tyler Myers |
| Ian Cole |
Mark Friedman |
| Starter |
Backup |
| Casey DeSmith |
Thatcher Demko |
