Canadiens vs. Ducks: Game thread and lines

Game 66: Montreal Canadiens vs. Anaheim Ducks

Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Ducks region: KCOP-13, Victory+
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+

This could have been a game in which the Montreal Canadiens were seeking some bonus points after four consecutive wins, but their play wasn’t up to the standard last night that they’d shown through the last couple of games, and they lost for a second time this season to the San Jose Sharks. Now, tonight’s game is one the Habs have to win to avoid a disappointing weekend back-to-back.

Montreal scored five goals on the Ducks when they met just over a week ago, and such a performance should be enough to get the win in this rematch, especially with Jacob Fowler in net. In the last three games, however, they haven’t scored more than three times. It’s a team built more for offence than defence, and will need to take better advantage of its chances, especially on a power play that has gone one-for-eight this week. The Ducks are not a strong penalty-killing team, and that should be to Montreal’s advantage.

After this game, four of Montreal’s next five matches will be played versus teams currently one to three points lower in the standings. Those will all be important games for the Canadiens to play their best hockey to really solidify their playoff standing. Tonight is their chance to set themselves up well with a consistent effort and an important two points before tackling that potentially season-defining stretch.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched: Zachary Bolduc, Jakub Dobeš, Patrik Laine, Joe Veleno, Arber Xhekaj

Anaheim Ducks projected lineup