Canadiens @ Blues: Game thread and lines
Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Game 41: Montreal Canadiens @ St. Louis Blues
Start time: **4:00 PM EST / 1:00 PM PST**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Blues region: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
After what was far from a pretty win in North Carolina, the Montreal Canadiens move on to the next stop of their tour in St. Louis. The Blues are another team that can play just as messy a style of hockey as we witnessed from the Jaccob Slavin-less Hurricanes a couple of nights ago, and the Habs need to avoid matching that level.
Jacob Fowler gets the call for what should be the easiest of the two games this weekend in his first action since the shootout loss in Tampa Bay to kick off this trip. He goes up against recently named Canadian Olympian Jordan Binnington, though the advantage in net should go to the rookie with his .904 save percentage and 3-1-2 record compared to Binnington’s 7-10-6 mark and an efficiency of .869.
Expect a strong performance from Alexandre Texier today, who joined the Canadiens after getting released by the Blues and has played very well since arriving. He says he’s much more comfortable in Montreal, and he can prove to his former team that he had more to offer than it allowed him to show.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #20 Juraj Slafkovský | #91 Oliver Kapanen | #93 Ivan Demidov |
| #13 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #85 Alexandre Texier |
| #76 Zachary Bolduc | #24 Phillip Danault | #17 Josh Anderson |
| #27 Sammy Blais | #90 Joe Veleno | #11 Brendan Gallagher |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #53 Noah Dobson |
| #48 Lane Hutson | #45 Alexandre Carrier |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj | #47 Jayden Struble |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #32 Jacob Fowler | #75 Jakub Dobeš |
Scratched: Owen Beck, Adam Engström, Samuel Montembeault
Injured: Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook
St. Louis Blues projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Neighbours | Robert Thomas | Jordan Kyrou |
| Pavel Buchnevich | Brayden Schenn | Jimmy Snuggerud |
| Otto Stenberg | Dalibor Dvorsky | Jonatan Berggren |
| Alexey Toropchenko | Oskar Sundqvist | Mathieu Joseph |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Philip Broberg | Colton Parayko |
| Cam Fowler | Justin Faulk |
| Tyler Tucker | Matthew Kessel |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| Jordan Binnington | Joel Hofer |
