Canadiens vs. Senators: Game thread and lines

Game 25: Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Senators region: TSN5 (English), RDS (French)
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+

Montreal may have lost the last game in uncompetitive fashion, but they had won three in a row before that loss to Colorado. They will be aiming for a fourth win in five games as they complete their home half of the season series with the Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa is never an easy team to play, but Montreal did claim an overtime win in the first meeting back on November 1. Ivan Demidov saved the team after the Senators had overcome a 2-0 deficit to lead late in the third, then Alex Newhook won it in overtime.

Now with Newhook out, the second-line leadership has been handed to Juraj Slafkovský, and he’s starting to run with the new responsibilities. He has four points in the last four games, following a sequence of five contests without hitting the scoresheet. He’s become the player who carries the puck for the line, allowing rookies Demidov and Oliver Kapanen to seek the open space, where Slafkovský has been very good at finding them.

The X-factor in this game will probably be the play of Samuel Montembeault. He looked good against the Vegas Golden Knights, but wasn’t forced to deal a high volume of high-danger chances that afternoon. A second consecutive solid outing will help to get him back on track, and set the team up for an important week with two back-to-back sets.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Scratched: Jared Davidson
Injured: Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Jayden Struble

Ottawa Senators projected lineup