Huge Game Tonight For The Habs VS. Blue Jackets
The Montreal Canadiens (39-21-10) are in action tonight to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (38-22-11) in a massive game for both teams during this tight playoff race. The Habs are entering tonight’s game on a 2-game winning streak, which includes a huge 5-2 victory on Tuesday against the top team in the East, the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the Blue Jackets have won 5 of their last 6 matchups and are one of the hottest teams in the entire NHL throughout the month of March. This means that the Habs will be in a very tough battle once again, and the team will need to be on top of their game if they want to extend their winning streak to 3 games.
Team rosters and stats ahead of tonight’s game between the Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS) #Habs: pic.twitter.com/Vt2H1RUPk3
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 26, 2026
The only meeting between these two teams this season ended in a 4-3 shootout win for the Columbus Blue Jackets back on November 17th. With both teams in tight races in their respective divisions, tonight’s matchup should be another one that could end in overtime or a 1-goal game. Will the Habs have what it takes to even up the season series tonight, or will the red-hot Blue Jackets prevail once again?
Jakub Dobes didn’t do any extra this morning, so looks like he’ll be in net tonight against the @BlueJacketsNHL
— Renaud Lavoie (@RLavoieTVA) March 26, 2026
The Canadiens are expected to give Jakub Dobes the start for the 2nd time this week. Dobes was the main reason for Tuesday’s win against the Hurricanes, as he made 41 saves on 43 shots, which included many big stops during the first period when the Habs skaters couldn’t get anything going. What was most impressive was that Dobes stopped 33 consecutive shots after allowing a 2nd goal just over 7 minutes into the opening frame. He will be looking to carry the momentum from Tuesday into tonight with him alongside his newfound improved positioning in his net.
Expect Dobes to play another great game tonight as he no longer swims all over his crease to make saves. In his last 5 games, Dobes has a 3-2 record alongside a very solid one. 926 save percentage and 2.02 GAA.
There aren’t any changes expected for tonight’s game, as the Habs got Josh Anderson back last game after he missed two games with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, on defence, Jayden Struble has done enough to be worthy of keeping his spot in the lineup over Arber Xhekaj until further notice. Follow the Habs social media updates before the game in case any late pre-game changes are made to the lineup.
Jet Greaves will be in nets for Columbus
He has 0.910 save percentage and 2.57 GAA this year.
Last 5 games:
0.923 (2 goals allowed)
0.955 (1 goal)
0.880 (3 goals)
0.966 (1 goal)
0.947 (1 goal)— John Bravo (@JohnDBravo) March 26, 2026
The Blue Jackets have named Jet Greaves as their starting goaltender against the Habs tonight. Greaves was the goaltender who helped the Blue Jackets get the win against the Habs earlier this season, where he stopped 29 out of 32 shots and 2 of the 3 shootout opportunities to prevail. In more recent games, Greaves has been red-hot, winning 4 of his last 5 starts while posting a .933 save percentage and 1.60 GAA. His one loss came in a 1-0 goaltending duel against Ilya Sorokin and the New York Islanders. Greaves will be hard to beat, however, if the Habs have the offence that has been able to bring hot goaltenders back to earth on numerous occasions this season.
Tonight’s game is looking like it could be a low-scoring affair, as both goaltenders have been at the top of their games as of late. With that being said, taking the Under 6.5 Goals for the total tonight is looking like a good bet to make. As for the moneyline, the Canadiens are listed as -120 home favourites, likely as a result of having home-ice advantage. Either way, it is expected that the game will be a close game as they both look to gain points in the standings for the current playoff race.
WHAT A GOAL BY IVAN DEMIDOV! 🤯
4-2 MONTREAL. pic.twitter.com/pUwFnLRHUN
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 25, 2026
The player to watch tonight for the Habs is Ivan Demidov, who scored a beautiful goal during Tuesday’s game as well as an assist. Demidov seems like he is just about to start heating up again after having a few games where he struggled to produce. Expect the rookie forward to have another good game with at least a point as he and his linemates are slowly finding their offensive connection again. Demidov is listed at -115 to record 1+ points tonight. Combine Demidov getting a point with a Habs win and the Under 6.5 Goals to boost your odds to +550 with a same-game parlay.
What are your predictions for tonight’s clash between the Blue Jackets and the Habs?
