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Wednesday evening, the Habs will find themselves in a familiar position playing another “most important game of the year”. While they are the youngest team in the playoffs by a fair margin and therefore lack playoff experience in general, they have shown themselves to be a resilient team this year. While the outcome is up in the air, Habs fans should expect nothing less than the best effort the Habs have within their lineup heading into this game. Wednesday’s Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals - Wednesday, April 30th @ 7:00PM - Capital One Arena Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovksý Newhook - Evans - Demidov Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Kapanen - Armia Matheson - Carrier (DTD) Hutson - Guhle Xhekaj - Savard Dobeš Primeau Washington Capitals Lineup Ovechkin - Strome - Beauvillier McMichael - Dubois - Wilson Mangiapane - Eller - Leonard Duhaime - Dowd - Raddysh Chychrun - Carlson Roy - Sandin Alexeyev - Van Riemsdyk Thompson Lindgren Storyline: Let’s get the elephant out of the room. This game has the potential to be the final game of the year for the Habs. It won’t be mentioned again but stands as the main storyline heading into the game. While the series score stands at 1-3, it’s been a series that has been and still is there for the taking. Heading into the third period of last game, the storyline could have been the Habs’ tremendous penalty killing as well as Dobeš happily fitting in as a 2025 reincarnate of a 2010 Jaroslav Halak. Instead, the Habs played a rough third period and allowed the Capitals to take the aforementioned commanding 3-1 series lead. While the lineups have yet to be confirmed, there is a lot up in the air in that area. The Capitals have been playing the series without Fehervary and Protas. We shall see if either will return for next game. The Habs are nursing more recent injuries of their own with question marks surrounding Laine, Carrier and Montembeault heading into next game. While it is unlikely that all three will play, any help will be welcomed. In regards to the series itself, there haven’t been many players who have stood out to a great extent. On Washington’s end, Strome, Beauvilier and Ovechkin have played quite well and stood out to the eye test. On Montreal’s end, Caufield and Hutson have caught the eye. The stats back up the eye test on Washington. Strome leads the Capitals with 7 points (2g, 5a) in 4 games. Beauvilier is sitting in second place with 5 points (1g, 4a). Ovechkin and McMichael leads the Capitals with 3 goals each. They both have 4 points in 4 games respectively. On the Canadiens end, Montreal has been led by Hutson who has 5 points in 4 games (0g, 5a). Caufield leads the Habs with 3 goals (1 assist). Outside of those two players, the team has been fairly quiet statistically. Both Slafkovksý and Suzuki have scored 2 goals so far in the series but have no assists. The team will need more from both of them and Suzuki in particular if they will hope to get back in the series. Demidov has also performed admirably with 2 assists but cannot be relied upon to be a saviour within the first few games of his NHL career. In addition, the Habs depth will need to chip in. When the Canadiens were beating former cup champion after former cup champion earlier in the year, they were doing so because their depth was superior to the other teams and performing as such. While Washington is good, they have had some quiet performers (such as Dubois) this series and so if they can get a little more from everyone and steal a game on the road, they can work their way back into the series. Anderson and Wilson have also stood out via their physical play. With that being said, discipline will be an important factor heading into the game. Anderson’s play is to be respected for the most part, however he did take an unnecessary penalty last game while Wilson scored an empty netter. Last game, Wilson had Anderson’s number. Hopefully Anderson has the last laugh. There are a myriad of other topics to touch on such as Armia being the Habs only + player this series, Xhekaj’s implementation into the lineup and Thompson playing while Montembeault sits on the sidelines and Dobeš plays. Dobeš would be a topic of its own. With that being said, the lineups are not official and so things will become a little more clear in terms of the lineup as the clock approaches Wednesday at 7:00pm. Let’s all enjoy the game and appreciate everything the Habs have given us this season. The game will be on the road and that is the main factor which will make this game a difficult win. However, there is definitely something to this team this year and so optimism is warranted. The Habs are always in the game when they are losing. The key will be to continue performing should they take the lead. Too many times this year have they played “content” or too passive while only ahead by one goal. Similar to game 3, should they take the lead, may they keep the foot on the gas pedal and strive for even more and may that result in a multi-goal lead and victory. PS: Never forget. We were down 1-3 in 2010.

The Habs showed what they were capable of in Game 3 of the series, shellacking the Capitals 6-3. With Jakub Dobeṧ the likely starter, will their defence and goaltending continue to hold up? Will they be able to control the game as much as they did on Friday night? And will the Bell Centre crowd be as loud as two nights ago? Patrik Laine is unlikely to play due to an injured wrist, while Joel Armia is playing through his own wrist injury. We'll be waiting for #13 to play key role in this game as well. Washington may start Logan Thompson in net in spite of an apparent injury when he was run over by his own teammate on Friday night, and man mount Aliaksei Protas might be ready to return from his regular-season injury, so there are several unknowns on the Washington side. Projected starting lines: Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Evans - Demidov Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Armia - Kapanen - Heineman Guhle - Hutson Matheson - Carrier Struble - Savard Dobeṧ Primeau

It's time for the Habs to take back the ice. Canadiens projected lines: Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Evans - Demidov Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Armia - Kapanen - Heineman Guhle - Hutson Matheson - Carrier Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeṧ Scratches: Laine, Pezzetta, Xhekaj Capitals projected lines: Do we really care?

Reffing was terrible last game but that is hardly unique to our series. Habs struggled a bit for the first 10 minutes of game #1 but found their footing and were exceptional in the third period. Montreal needs a significantly better game from the Newhook line or they need to be blown up. No changes are expected to the line up so don’t expect to see Xhekaj. Go Habs Go

Well boys and girls, after a great run during the regular season, the team got what it deserved and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Habs’ reward? The Washington Capitals. I am currently traveling overseas in Europe, but wanted to get this game thread going and build the excitement towards tomorrow’s clash with Ovechkin and company. Without further ado… Montreal’s first round matchup: Montréal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals - Game #1 Round #1 - Monday, April 21st @ 7PM EST - Capital One Arena Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovksý Laine - Newhook - Demidov Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeš Washington Capitals Lineup Ovechkin - Strome - Beauvillier McMichael - Dubois - Wilson Mangiapane - Eller - Leonard Duhaime - Dowd - Raddysh Chychrun - Carlson Sandin - Roy Alexeyev - Van Riemsdyk Thompson Lindgren Storyline / Series Preview The Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals are set to face-off in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. One cannot think of this matchup without remembering the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs where the 8th seeded Habs took on the 1st seed and league winners Capitals in the first round, having gone on to defeat the favourites in 7 games, despite having trailed the series 3-1. Washington was a ferocious force at the time, and were probably one of the most offensive heavy and talented teams the Habs have faced in a playoff series in quite some time. While one cannot win without a team in the sport, it is safe to say that goaltender Jaroslav Halak had some miraculous moments in that series and having been compared to a stop sign at the time, he was stopping (or “arrêt-ing”)almost everything that came his way. The Washington Capitals have been a solid team for some time, if only in large part to the reality that they have had the greatest goal scorer of all time on their team. Despite not having been predicted to do so, they have had a great season, having been in part inspired by Ovechkin and his race to catch Gretzky for the all time goal scoring record. While Ovechkin has indeed enjoyed a remarkable year, certain players on the Habs have decided to pay no respect for the Russian legend. Laine, who is another talented and minimally comparable player to Ovechkin has suggested that he couldn’t care less about facing the Capitals’ forward. Demidov has taken things one step further, albeit likely in a joking manner, and has stated that he likes Malkin better. With that said, since their Stanley Cup win in 2018, Washington has not enjoyed any success in the second season. From that year onward, they have failed to qualify for the playoffs once, and have lost in the first round their other 6 attempts. While Ovechkin is clearly a great player, he cannot do everything himself and while Washington does have a lineup sprinkled with good players throughout, there are some holes to be exploited within their roster, and the opportunity is there for the taking for the Habs. Will the addition of players like Pierre-Luc Dubois help the Capitals get over their recent playoff hump? Or will the Habs play spoilers once again and serve the Washington Capitals with a heavy dose of a repeated groundhogs day? Montreal, on the other hand has failed to qualify for the playoffs since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2020-2021. Key players such as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and even Jake Evans, Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher are back in the playoffs for the first time since that great experience. It is certain that they will be chomping at the bit with genuine excitement for the opportunity that lays ahead of them. The Habs’ best players will have to be their best players in order to have a chance in the series, but our depth can also play a role in having success, as it has all season. Along with our veterans who have been to the dance before, an interesting storyline heading into the series are the young guns who have made their mark this year, as well as a few who are just getting started at the perfect time. While Lane Hutson has been other worldly this season and certainly deserves the Calder trophy, newcomers Ivan Demidov and Ryan Leonard will be looking to make their first truly important marks in the league. It will be interesting to follow their respective games throughout the series and playoffs as a whole. While we mentioned Lane Hutson, let’s not forget which team drafted his brother, Cole Hutson. While he will not be in the lineup, Lane will be looking to prevent his brother from having any bragging rights even before he has played an NHL game. While there is so much to discuss, we’re going to keep the first game thread of the Stanley Cup Playoffs short and simple and let the players do most of the talking with their play on the ice. I hope everyone has a great time enjoying the series, cheering on our Habs and let’s hope for the best. It’s an exciting time to be a Habs fan. Go Habs Go!!! Series Game Dates Monday April 21 - 7 pm Wednesday April 23 - 7 pm Friday April 25 - 7 pm Sunday April 27 - 6:30 pm Wednesday April 30 - (TBD) Friday May 2 - (TBD) Sunday May 4 - (TBD)

I’m not waiting. I’m not giving those fans on HabsWorld time to digest Monday’s shootout loss to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. I’m not being patient and waiting for the result against Columbus prior to deciding how to angle this game thread. In the moment this game will matter and after making game threads for the Habs’ longest win streak of the year at 6, if I can do anything to help our chances even prior to Columbus playing Philadelphia tomorrow, then I will do my best. This Year’s Final Matchup: Carolina Hurricanes 🌀 @ Montreal Canadiens - Wednesday, April 16th @ 7PM EST - Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Lineup Forward Line Combinations Defensive Pairings Goaltending Tandem Players to watch: Caufield, Suzuki, Demidov, Laine, Hutson, Montembeault ***UPDATED LINE COMBINATIONS*** Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovský Demidov-Newhook-Laine Gallagher-Dvorak-Anderson Heineman-Evans-Armia Matheson-Carrier Guhle-Hutson Struble-Savard Montembeault Dobeš Carolina Hurricanes Lineup Forward Line Combinations Defensive Pairings Goaltending Tandem Players to watch: Jarvis, Aho, Blake, Svechnikov, Hall, Andersen ***UPDATED LINE COMBINATIONS*** Svechnikov- Kotkaniemi- Hall Robinson - Jankowski -Roslovic Carrier - Brind’Amour- Stankoven Jost - Nadeau Orlov - Burns Gostisbehere - Walker Stillman - Morrow Fensore Pyotr Kochetkov Frederik Andersen Storyline: Well Carolina, we meet again. Hopefully this time, with a different outcome. After Monday’s result, this game becomes very important at the time of writing. Montreal can clinch with a single point or better. If Columbus loses a point in either of their remaining games or wins one or more of their remaining games outside of regulation, Montreal will clinch regardless. New Hab arrival Ivan Demidov had a stellar introduction into the league and single handedly helped the Canadiens blast off to a 2-0 lead against the Blackhawks on Monday evening. With that being said, the Canadiens cooled down as the match wore on and lost 3-4 in a shootout. The emphasis on Thursday’s game will have to be more on overall team play, rather than focusing on Ivan Demidov night. Carolina has been resting players as their position in the standings are locked in. With a matchup against the Devils promised and home ice clinched, there is very little need for them to risk any injuries to one of their players. We will see closer to game time if some players may sit out. The Habs will have to ice their very best unless Columbus loses/doesn’t win in regulation tomorrow, in which case they will be able to rest a few players as well. This year I’ve found myself in some uncharted territory, having rooted for some enemies in Toronto, Boston and now Philadelphia tomorrow as they are set to face Columbus. Columbus has been on a 4 game win streak led by AHL goalie Jet Greaves. Should tomorrow be the day where he finally falters? Let’s hope Michkov and Demidov are great friends. Go Habs Go! Let your play in the final game of the season do the talking. Columbus, you may lose tomorrow. The home team has won every game this season. Carolina has lost 5 of their last 6 games. We have the player with more goals. We have the player with more assists. We have the goalie with more wins. Only mentioning positives. Discuss .

The time: Monday April 14, 2025.... 7:00 PM EDT The place: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada The Stakes: A win puts the Habs in the playoffs. Habs Lineup Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Gallagher-Dvorak-Anderson Demidov-Newhook-Armia Laine-Evans-Kapanen Guhle - Hutson Mattheson - Carrier Struble - Savard Montembault Dobes Hawks Lineup from Daily Faceoff Moore - Bedard - Mikeheyev Teravainen - Nazar - Bertuzzi Donato - Foligno - Kurashev Slaggert - Veleno - Greene Vlassic - Rinzel Korchinski - Murphy Kaiser - Levshunov Knight Soderblom As they say..... "DESTINY IS CALLING ME"

Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens head into Toronto for a crucial showdown with the Maple Leafs. With just three games left, the stakes couldn’t be higher….. a regulation win tonight punches their ticket to the playoffs. Monty gets a breather as young goalie Jakub Dobeš takes the net. He’s had ups and downs lately, but his last performance showed heart and resilience. Montreal will be without their exciting new weapon, Ivan Demidov, who won’t make his debut until Monday. After a string of sluggish starts and too many games spent chasing from behind, the Habs know they need to come out flying. This is their moment to rise, to prove they belong in the quest for the cup. If not now, when ?

Today is a big day in Habs(World)Land. Should the Canadiens earn a point, they will eliminate every team battling for a spot in the east from playoff contention outside of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Should they earn 2 points via a regulation victory, the 8th and final playoff spot in the eastern conference will have been clinched. Next Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators - Friday, April 11th @ 7PM EST - Canadian Tire Center Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Kapanen - Newhook - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeš Ottawa Senators Lineup Perron - Stützle - Batherson Zetterlund - Cozens - Giroux Greig - Pinto - Amadio Highmore - Gaudette - Cousins Sanderson - Zub Chabot - Jensen Kleven - Matinpalo Ullmark Forsberg Storyline: Tonight we find ourselves with an all Canadian matchup between two playoff bound teams. Ottawa clinched a spot the other day for the first time since 2016-2017 (8 years) despite losing 2-5 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Habs on the other hand are set to clinch any moment as their odds of doing so for the first time in 4 years are astronomically high at roughly ~99%. Both teams will come into this matchup icing their strongest available lineups, as well as their starting goalies because there is still something to play for in the sense that the Habs find themselves only 3 points behind the Sens for the 1st wildcard spot. While one could argue who may be a better matchup between Washington and Toronto, 9.99 times out of 10, teams will attempt to finish as high as they can in the standings so both teams would like to win this contest. While Brady Tkachuk did skate today, it is still up in the air as to whether or not he will be available to play. He has missed the Senators’ last 5 games where they have amassed a 3-2 record in his absence. While I have the impression that he may miss this game as well, if the Senators did have a playoff-like matchup remaining in the schedule, this one would be it. As a result, knowing Brady Tkachuk, if he is even 80 or 90%, he may decide to lace them up tonight. Whether or not he plays should have somewhat of an impact on the outcome of the game. The Canadiens enter this matchup with the longest winning streak of any team in the league at 6 games. Because they are known to be streaky at times, let’s hope for at least one more win tonight so the team can confidently play the rest of the regular season knowing they have officially clinched. The Habs won their last meeting 6-3 against the Senators after scoring 5 goals in the third period to clinch the victory. Outside of the first two periods of that game, let’s hope for a similar overall result today. Similar to Tkachuk’s impact on the Sens, Nick Suzuki will be a player to look out for on the Habs. He and Hutson have the ability to put the team on their shoulders and create something out of nothing. Led by our captain, let’s hope for our depth to shine as well and for our defensive play and goaltending to remain strong as they have been during this most recent stretch of games. It’s an exciting time to be a Habs fan. First Florida, and now the Sens? Let’s go for the season sweep.

With plenty of important games in the rear view mirror, Habs fans get treated with arguably the most significant playoff level game so far this season when the Habs face the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025. One only has to look at the standings in order to realize its significance and the effect that the opposing outcomes can have. Next Matchup: Detroit Red Wings @ Montreal Canadiens - Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 @ 7PM - Centre Bell🔔 Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Laine - Newhook - Kapanen Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Xhekaj Montembeault Dobeš Detroit Red Wings Lineup 🔴🪽 Debrincat - Larkin - P. Kane Soderblom - Kasper - Raymond Berggren - Compher - Tarasenko Rasmussen - Motte - Smith Chariot - Seider Edvinsson - Petry Johansson - Holl Talbot Lyon Storyline: The Habs and Red Wings are playing their most important original 6 game since they met in the 1978 playoffs. A year that Montreal would go on to win the Stanley Cup. Okay, more-so from the Habs perspective seeing as just last year Detroit ended their season playing what they believed may be their most important games against the Habs to close out their season. More on that later… The Habs and Red Wings are not only relatively close in the standings, but their teams match up quite similarly on paper. Some high quality skill throughout the lineup. One could argue that the top lines of each team match up quite similarly in that regard. Detroit’s top line has combined for 183 points in 218 games. That’s good enough for .8394 points per game The Habs top line has combined for 198 points in 228 games. Good enough for .8684 points per game. Not too far from one another and Captain Nick Suzuki has really taken a leap this year seeing as he is over 1 ppg. Debrincat and Caufield are also very similar players so there are really dangerous players on both ends. There’s not too much to focus on for this game outside of the obvious. Detroit will be playing for their lives, and the Habs will be looking to secure a playoff spot. The ghosts of the forum have made their way to the Bell Center over the past few weeks and have aided in ensuring that the Habs don’t miss the playoffs for a 4th consecutive year for the first time in franchise history. Should the Habs make the playoffs, they will be doing so for the first year since they made the Stanley Cup final in 2021. While Detroit used to be a lock for the playoffs in the 90s and early 2000s, they are attempting to end an 8 season playoff drought. A win for them will be much needed in aid of that quest. Lucas Raymond has said he is excited for the matchup but will Detroit be able to quiet the Montreal faithful? Since I will be in attendance, one thing is for sure, I will be the loudest I have been all season. I am attending on my birthday as well so it will certainly be a memorable match in my books. - May Montembeault have a stellar game - May Hutson be the best defender on the ice - May Suzuki be the best forward on the ice - May the Habs use home ice to their advantage and come out with a victory Is that too much to ask? The Red Wings made a late season push for the playoffs last season by beating the Habs in back to back games 5-4 in overtime both games on April 17th and April 18th, 2024. They ended with 91 points to tie the Capitals for the last playoff spot, but Washington held the tiebreak and Detroit failed to qualify once again. (Photo after Detroit 5-4 shootout win April 18th, 2024) This season, Detroit and Montreal have flip flopped in the standings seemingly every few weeks since January. Montreal has made their run at a crucial time and while Detroit is 3-0-1 in their last 4 games, the Habs find themselves in the midst of a 5 game win streak. Whose armour will break, and will it happen in regulation? It seems like we’ll be in for a tight contest one way or the other, and time will tell. Go Habs Go!

With the Habs currently on a 4 game win streak, I am happy that I have been enjoying making these game day threads before I can even get some breakfast in the system. Habs Winning Streak: 4 Consecutive Game Day Thread: #5 Days: 8 (Sunday to Sunday including both days) Upcoming Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Nashville Predators - Sunday, April 6th @ 7:00PM EST - Bridgestone Arena Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Heineman - Newhook - Laine Evans - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Kapanen - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Dobeš Momtembeault Nashville Predators Lineup Bunting - O’Reilly - Evangelista Forsberg - Stamkos - L’Heureux Smith - McCarron - Vrana Bellows - Svechkov - Wood Skjei - Blankenburg Del Gaizo - Barron Englund - Oesterle Saros Annunen Storyline: One can’t think of this matchup without a few key names coming to mind. Firstly, we have the blockbuster trade from years ago where we saw Montreal ship out P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Shea Weber. A largely controversial and debated trade at the time. Can you spot the difference? That trade will not be discussed in detail here but it was followed up by another blockbuster trade () this year when Montreal traded Justin Barron to the Predators for Alexandre Carrier. Barron Nashville Totals: 39 GP - 4G, 5A = 9P Carrier Montreal Totals: 45 GP - 2G, 14A = 16P Finally, (there is also McCarron) who can forget having longtime Nashville Predator Alex Radulov as part of the Montreal Canadiens lineup? An exciting player who many wish would have been (along with Markov) resigned by the Habs’ former regime. Now, enough with the blasts from the past, and on to today’s game. The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators enter the contest having experienced almost polar opposite seasons. The Predators and Habs both made fairly significant additions into their lineups last off season. While the Canadiens added Patrick Laine, the Predators acquired what most people figured would be a sure thing in Steven Stamkos. While things haven’t exactly been perfect for Laine in the hockey crazed town of Montreal, the overall team environment and situation has been much worse for Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators. While Montreal is fighting for a playoff spot, the Nashville Predators have terribly underachieved this season and have already been eliminated from playoff contention. Laine Totals: 46 GP - 19G, 13A = 32P (19 PPP) Stamkos Totals: 76 GP - 24G, 22A = 46P (18 PPP) While Laine has enjoyed a .696 point per game pace, Stamkos sits at a .605 point per game pace over the season. Let’s see how much these two players will have an impact on today’s game. My prediction is that Laine will have the greater impact, so expect some power play goals this evening. Montreal needs to enter the Bridgestone arena and play their own game. Continue to play with the intensity that they brought at times during their recent games at home. While Nashville has a terrible record this year, they are much better at home. While they are 9-25-5 on the road this season, they actually hold a winning (in regulation) record at home at 18-16-3. While the Habs are 21-12-5 at home, their record on the road is 16-18-4. In other words, we can’t exactly take things lightly this evening. Nashville does have some talent up front with players like Forsberg, O’Reilly and the aforementioned Stamkos always ready to make a difference regardless of their place in the standings. Carrier will have some money on the board for this one. So hopefully Nick Suzuki and the Habs can pull this one out, and Carrier can take the team out for a nice dinner out over the next coming days. Playoff odds vs beginning of season: Montreal’s odds are now closer to 80% so I will update the 58.7% image when they update.

The Habs continue their pursuit of happiness tonight at 7PM vs the Philadelphia Flyers. Next Matchup Philadelphia Flyers @ Montreal Canadiens - Saturday, April 5th @ 7PM EST - Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Heineman - Newhook - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeš Philadelphia Flyers Lineup Foerster - Cates - Brink Michkov - Couturier - Konecny Pelletier - Poehling - Tippett Deslauriers - Dorwart - Hathaway Seeler - Sanheim York - Drysdale Zamula - Andrae Ersson Fedotov Storyline The Habs and Flyers are set to meet each other for the second time in 10 days. The first meeting coincided with the firing of Flyers head coach, John Tortorella. The Flyers have managed to gain a boost from this event and have turned their last 3 matchups into a 3 game winning streak. The Habs lost their last contest with the Flyers 6-4 but have also managed to turn their luck around at a crucial moment of their season. They are also in the midst of enjoying a 3 game winning streak. The Flyers (26.8) and the Habs (26.9) are both young teams, sitting 3rd and 4th (tied with Boston) youngest respectively. Many of the younger teams are not doing well in the standings, so this bodes well for the talent level of Montreal’s young players. Two of the youngest players on each team are currently in a battle for the rookie of the year honours, and the Calder Trophy. While Lane Hutson’s name has been circulating amongst the mouths of those discussing the topic, Michkov is also having quite a significant year, and things have only seemed to improve in this short sample size since Tortorella’s firing. While Hutson has been the better player statistically over the past week with 6 points, Michkov has recorded 11 points (4g, 7a) in the past 14 days, good enough for third in the NHL over that span. He is tied with Jack Eichel (6g, 5a) and Ovechkin (6g, 5a) during that period. Only Robert Thomas and Nikita Kucherov have more points (15) over that same timeframe. While Nick Suzuki has led the way during that timeframe with 10 points, Hutson has been no slouch having registered 9 assists for 9 points during the past 14 days. Clearly, the race for the Calder is on, and tonight’s matchup will be a big part of that. The Habs will enjoy a back to back series this weekend with two winnable matches against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Nashville Predators. The playoff race is still tight but the Habs hold their destiny in their own hands. With a solid effort and results going their way, this weekend could prove to be monumental in regards to the Canadiens’ playoff aspirations. May the team continue to play well and deliver the fans and organization what they so desperately crave, a playoff berth. Previous Meetings October 27, 2024: Montreal 4 - 3 Flyers March 27, 2025: Montreal 4 - 6 Flyers

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, on Thursday night, a rivalry will be renewed. The Boston Bruins are coming to town to face their longtime rivals in the Montreal Canadiens. Next Matchup Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens: Thursday, April 3rd @ 7PM EST - Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Heineman - Newhook - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta* - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeš *Kapanen has been recalled and may play Boston Bruins Lineup Geekie - Zacha - Pastrnak Koepke - Lindholm - Lauko Khusnutdinov - Middlestadt - Lettieri Viel - Beecher - Brown Zadorov - Jokiharju Wotherspoon - Peeke Lohrei - Mitchell Swayman Korpisalo Storyline: With 8 games and 7 games left in their respective seasons, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston bruins are set to face each other under very different circumstances from one another. As they enter their 764th regular season meeting, and 940th overall, the Habs are clinging to the final playoff spot, in a battle with the Rangers and Blue Jackets, whereas the Bruins are fighting with the Buffalo Sabres for last place in the east and the best possible odds at a 1st overall draft pick. With a win in regulation, the Canadiens can eliminate the Bruins from playoff contention, putting them out of the misery that has been this season. Montreal will head into this matchup against the Bruins with many different faces in the lineup. Players like Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, and Charlie Coyle are no longer with the team as they have been shipped out. Instead the Bruins lineup is filled with many unrecognizable and difficult to spell names within their lineup. While David Pastrnak will always be dangerous, he cannot do everything on his own and his supporting cast isn’t the greatest at the moment. As a result, the Bruins find themselves having lost their last 6 matches in a row, and hold a 1-8-1 record over their last 10. The Canadiens on the other hand are coming off of 2 big wins over the former Stanley Cup champions, including a thrilling come from behind overtime victory less than 48 hours ago. They hold a 4-3-3 record over their last 10 contests. While the Canadiens cannot take any team lightly, this matchup is there for the taking, and it comes at a crucial point of the season where two points are almost necessary. While the Habs hold the current advantage over the Bruins, there are some statistical advantages the Bruins hold that one should be aware of. First of all, the Bruins have won our previous two meetings this year, 6-4 in October, and 6-3 in December. Both games were on the road, however, so this marks the first time the Canadiens will host the Bruins and we are already 75 games into the season. This means we will end the season with 2 away games and 1 home game against the Bruins. While the Habs held the advantage a few years ago with two home games and one away, this seems to be a little irregularity in the schedule which could use some adjusting. With parity in the league, this type of thing could lead to the difference between two teams making the playoffs in a given year. The Bruins have also won 9 out of their last 10 matchups with the Habs, so clearly they have held the advantage over us in the recent past. Another area which the Bruins have recently held the advantage is goaltending for this particular matchup between teams. Montembeault has a 2-6-1 record against the Bruins with a 4.16 goals against average, and a .876 save percentage. Swayman, on the other hand, has never lost to the Montreal Canadiens in regulation, holding a 9-0-1 record to go along with a 2.69 goals against average and a modest .900 save percentage. A lot of this has had to do with the level of their respective teams, but hopefully Montembeault and the Habs can turn things in their favor today and come through with a regulation victory. Korpisalo’s numbers are even better with an 8-2-0 record but a .916 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average. It’s to be said that Korpisalo has done so while defending the crease of other teams as well, though. Dobeš has never played the Bruins. Something else to mention is the reality that Montreal has recalled Kapanen to the team and so while nothing is official, there is a chance that he will replace Pezzetta in the lineup. On one hand, one would think that it may be best to keep a winning lineup intact. On the other end of things, Pezzetta has only played between 5 and 6 minutes over the past couple of contests, so any positive impact he has had on the outcome would have been very minimal. Historical leaders vs the Bruins include Gallagher with 28 points in 42 games, Laine with 12 points in 15 games and finally Anderson with 12 points in 19 games. For the Bruins, Pastrnak leads the way with 49 points in 32 games (perhaps we should double team him), Lindholm has 24 points in 34 games against the Habs, and finally McAvoy has 16 points in 23 games. McAvoy is another familiar face that the Habs won’t have to contend with due to the long term injury he sustained at the 4 nations face off. On the other hand, the return of Kaiden Guhle has added a steady balance to the top 4 over the past 2 games. While things were starting to get out of hand over the past few weeks defensively, the Habs played a nice defensive game in their last contest. This style, and winning many closely contested 1 goal games has been their recipe for success this season. His defensive partner is no slouch either, with Hutson simply leading the way on the back end. Should they transition this style into tonight’s matchup, the Habs will likely be successful and come away with their 3rd consecutive victory. Previous Matchups 10/10/24: 4-6 Bruins @ Boston 12/1/24: 3-6 Bruins @ Boston

Tuesday evening, the Florida Panthers enter the Bell Center for their 4th and final contest with the Montreal Canadiens this season. Montreal has had their number so hopefully things continue for this matchup. Next Matchup Florida Panthers @ Montreal Canadiens - Tuesday, April 1st @ 7PM - Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky Heineman - Newhook - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobes Florida Panthers Verhaeghe - Barkov - Reinhart Marchand - Bennett - Rodrigues Luostarinen - Lundell - Boqvist Greer - Sturm - Samoskevich Forsling - Jones Mikkola - Kulikov Schmidt - Balinskis Vanecek Bobrovsky Storyline In terms of positioning in the standings, the storylines are fairly similar to Sunday's matchup. Florida is fighting for first place in the division and Montreal is fighting for a playoff spot, period. The Habs enter the contest tied with the Rangers with 77 points but have one game in hand. This game is of utmost importance because the Rangers hold the tiebreak with the Habs so should they lose, the Rangers will take over the final playoff spot without even having to play a game. The lineups should be fairly similar with mild tweaks here and there. Florida has already moved Rodrigues to the second line in place of Samoskevich. Heineman fit in quite well with Newhook and Laine so I would keep that line intact. The real storyline surrounding this game revolves around the fact that it is a rematch of a contest held only two days ago as well an incident that transpired at the end of said meeting. The game is the final end of a home and home and the conclusion to the 4 game series these teams will face each other this season, outside of the 4 games the Habs will use to sweep Florida in the conference final later this season. The main element stemming from the game was an incident that happened right at the conclusion of the match when Mikkola decided to take a slap shot that nearly decapitated Savard at the other end of the ice. This led to players getting involved at the end of the match, led by Brendan Gallagher as they danced together for a period of time before both teams were escorted off the ice. The game is governed at times by unwritten rules and while it's not a big deal to me personally, one can understand the response, and it's hard to criticize passion during a moment that doesn't punish the team. The top players were the top players for the Habs last game against the Panthers. Will they step up to the plate once again? Will it be the depth players instead? A combination of both? Or will the team revert to the manner in which they played at the beginning of the year, or only a few games ago. The Habs seem to be somewhat of a streaky team at times who rely heavily on confidence as a primary driver for their success. Let's hope they turned the page on Sunday and continue strong through the end of this season. Previous Meetings Dec 28th, 2024: Habs 4 - 0 Panthers (Away) March 15th, 2025: 3-1 Habs (Home) March 30th, 2025: 4-2 Habs (Away)

With an early start tomorrow, here is the next GDT. CC, if we lose this, we may need one of your simpletons Next Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers - Sunday, March 30th, 1PM EST - Amerant Bank Arena Montreal Canadiens Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Heineman - Laine - Newhook Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeš Last game the Habs went with 11f and 7d, so lineups will be updated should we go back to 12 & 6. (lineup has been adjusted) Florida Panthers Verhaeghe - Barkov - Reinhart Marchand - Bennett - Samoskevich Luostarinen - Lundell - Boqvist Greer - Sturm - Rodrigues Forsling - Jones Mikkola - Schmidt Bjornfot - Balinskis Bobrovsky Venecek Storyline: With the Habs set to face Florida, one thing is for certain: The Panthers have acquired themselves a rat. Brad Marchand made his Panthers debut yesterday and will be in the Florida lineup for the second time in his career Sunday afternoon vs the Habs. The rat managed an assist in his debut, registering the assist on formal rival turned Team Canada and Panthers teammate, Sam Bennett’s goal. This is a personal thing but years ago I used to compare Brendan Gallagher and Brad Marchand and figured their careers could turn out to be fairly similar. There are two expanding points on that thought. 1) Marchand’s career has turned out better While Gallagher has been an important figure on the Canadiens squad and demonstrates the heart of a lion on a nightly basis, Marchand has the better point totals, also battles hard, and has been a prominent figure on championship teams, as well as captain for the same organization. 2) It’s interesting to note that Gallagher’s tenure on the Habs has extended beyond that of Marchand’s on the Bruins. With that being said, Gallagher’s career began in 2012-2013 making this his 13th season as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Marchand’s career for the Bruins began in 2009-2010 meaning he played 16, (or 15.5) seasons for the Bruins. Will Gallagher still be with the Habs in 2-4 seasons? (Check out Montembeault’s helmet) Hopefully the Habs can come out strong, catch the Panthers having a cat nap and Brendan Gallagher and the Canadiens make Brad Marchand feel emotions he felt many times as a Bruin but has yet to experience as a Panther. The game itself: Both the Canadiens and Florida enter the contest feeling as though this is an important game. Florida has 91 points, good enough for 1st in the division but Toronto and Tampa are right behind them with 90 and 89 points respectively. The Habs have fallen out of a playoff spot at least for a day, but at the time of writing, they are still tied for that final spot. Needless to say, a good stretch is needed here to cap the regular season. It is to be sure that many people involved with the Habs in any way, whether it be fans, media, analysts, or the organization itself coupd be disappointed based on the Habs’ recent results. That said, being emotional won’t do anyone any favors unless used in a positive manner. Habs player Cole Caufield was quoted as saying that the team would have been happy to be in this position at this point in the season, had they been asked prior to the year. While this is a generic response, it remains true. The only thing the Habs can do is focus on what comes next. The Habs have also had Florida’s number this year having outscored them a combined 7-1 in two victories, so they have the mental edge to an extent and can use that to build a strong final push to close out the season. Final thoughts: 1) One thing I often think about when our team faces Sam Bennett is the thought that Heineman was involved in the trade for Bennett to Florida by Calgary. We then requested him in the Toffoli trade. Of course there were more players and pieces involved in both trades but it’s something to ponder when we see Heineman quietly playing on our 4th line. He is a player that holds value and although he has been once again quiet statistically since his unfortunate pedestrian vs car accident in Utah earlier this year, he’s a solid member of the team. 2) Similar to Marchand, Guhle made his return last game for the Habs. While his insertion into the lineup did not have an immediate impact, hopefully his addition can help stabilize the back end. As the Habs were playing well as a defensive unit for long stretches without Guhle, St. Louis went with an unorthodox 11 forwards and 7 defensemen model. Hopefully the team saw enough last game and will go back to 12 and 6. 3) Samuel Montembeault will face his former team. While many years have already passed, there’s always that extra little motivation for a player who faces their old team, especially when you are a goaltender. 4) Subtly mentioned his name before but Cole Caufield needs to break out of his slump. He did score recently vs Philadelphia but he has been quiet by his standard and hasn’t yet done enough to look like he is out of his changed mental state. A goal or two in this game will go a long way in helping both him regain his confidence as well as the team find a win. 5) May the Habs get back to their winning ways and come back home with vibes that remind them of who they were in the following photo: Previous meetings 12/28/2024 @ FLA - 4-0 WIN 315/2025 @ MTL - 3-1 WIN

Sums up my mood right now

After a tough loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, the Habs will look to rebound against a struggling Philadelphia team on Thursday. Next Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Philadelphia Flyers - Thursday, March 27th @ 7:00PM EST @ Wells Fargo Center Montreal Canadiens Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Roy - Newhook - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Struble - Hutson Xhekaj - Savard Dobeš Montembeault Philadelphia Flyers Foerster - Cates - Brink Michkov - Couturier - Konecny Tippett - Poehling - Pelletier Deslauriers - Abols - Lycksell York - Sanheim Seeler - Drysdale Zamula - Andrae Ersson Fedotov Storyline: For the first time in a while the Habs enter the game finding themselves in a very different situation than their opponent. While the Habs are clinging on to the last wildcard spot, depending on what happens in the Islanders game this evening, the Flyers are just about looking ahead to their future. While both the Flyers and the Habs have young top lines, the Philadelphia top line does not hold the same pedigree as the Montreal top line. Cates, Foerster and Brink have a combined age of 72 (23,23,26), the Habs’ top line has a combined age of 69 (24,25,20). With that being said, the Habs top line has combined for 178 points this season whereas the Philadelphia top line have combined for 94 points. While both the Flyers and Habs are coming off of 5 goal losses (Habs 1-6 vs St. Louis & Flyers 2-7 vs Leafs), the Habs clearly enter the game as favorites. With that being said, Caufield finds himself in a mini slump with only 1 point and no goals in his past 4 games. If the Habs are to begin winning games in regulation, or at all, they will need him to step up to the plate and start producing for them, as he is the 2nd leading scorer in the NHL on the road with over 20 goals. Slafkovský has also gone 3 games out of his last 4 without a point, however he did score 2 important goals versus Colorado. The Habs enter this matchup with a few question marks regarding their lineup. The first question surrounds Kaiden Guhle. He has been skating with the team in a regular practice jersey and with the Habs having lost their last game by a wide margin, this may be the perfect opportunity for him to enter the lineup. The question will remain, who will he replace? The answer will likely be between Struble, Savard and Xhekaj. While Savard is the most popular pick, he does tend to bring value in certain unique areas, including the reality that removing him would leave the Habs with 5 left handed defensemen in the lineup and only one right hander in Carrier. The other main question surrounds goaltending. With the Habs on the front end of a back to back, will Dobeš be the starter against Philadelphia? Once again, after the Habs struggled mightly in their last contest, and the Flyers being a relatively easy opponent (not to be taken for granted though) this may be the moment to get Dobeš into the net and give Montembeault the day off. If it were me, Dobeš would play this game, however time will tell as the goalies have yet to be confirmed. The time is now for the Habs to turn their recent results around and begin a solid stretch to finish off their regular season. The team is coming off of a very difficult loss but it is possible that they needed that wakeup call and it could be viewed in a positive light down the road should they use their loss vs St. Louis as a learning experience and use it as fuel for the remainder of their season. They had been getting away with things as of late, so hopefully the Habs can use the frustration from that matchup and translate it into productive play. The margins are slim but they have played well enough over the stretch to have their destiny in their own hands. As one can see, the storyline of this matchup revolves mainly around the Habs. The Flyers have some ex-Habs players in Poehling and Deslauriers but they are mostly depth players and shouldn’t factor much into the equation, unless Deslauriers would like to drop the mits with Xhekaj. The Habs should remain disciplined however and if they do so, they should come out of this match with a victory. Previous Matchup: October 27, 2024: Montreal 4 - 3 Flyers

In succession of Mr. CC’s valiant run as GDT host, I come to you with peace and victories in mind. The Habs have a tough opponent ahead and have yet to bring victories to the table while in a playoff spot late in this season. Tomorrow brings an opportunity where this could all change. Next Matchup Colorado Avalanche @ Montreal Canadiens - Saturday, March 22nd - 7:00PM EST (19h) - Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Roy - Newhook - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Hutson - Struble Matheson - Carrier Xhekaj - Savard Montembeault Dobeš Colorado Avalanche Drouin - Mackinnon - Nichushkin Lehkonen - Nelson - Necas Kiviranta - Coyle - Colton Kelly - Drury - O’Connor Toews - Makar Lindgren - Malinski Middleton - Johnson Wedgewood Blackwood Storyline Saturday’s matchup brings some familiar faces back to the Bell Centre in Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin. Both players have seemingly carved out a niche of their own in Colorado and have been contributors for the team. Outside of the newcomers to the team, in Necas and Nelson, as well as Rantanen, who was traded away, Lehkonen finds himself only behind Mackinnon and Makar in scoring. Drouin has had some injuries this season but is similarly only behind Mackinnon, Makar, Necas and Nichushkin in points per game on the team, with 32 points in 37 games (or .86 points per game). To put this into perspective, only Caufield and Suzuki have a better points per game on the Habs (.90 and 1.04 points per game respectively). With Drouin and Mackinnon having a long history together, this comes as no surprise. Ironically, both Drouin and Lehkonen have won championships with Mackinnon. Drouin with the Halifax Mooseheads in junior: Lehkonen with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022: On Montreal’s side of things, Alex Newhook will look to defeat his former championship winning team. Despite criticism of the second line, Newhook has been playing extremely well as of late, utilizing his speed to obtain high quality chances which have lacked a combination of luck as well as execution. Still, if he keeps up his play he will be rewarded soon. This matchup against his former team may just be the moment. The starting goalies are a little up in the air for both teams. On Montreal’s end, there is a valid argument for both goaltenders to start. Montembeault is the guy right now, but he has played 3 consecutive games, and Montreal has not gone with a goalie 4 games in a row in this calendar year, and likely even longer than that. Dobeš on the other hand rarely gets home starts and has only played one Saturday home game this year, a 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils in late January. With that being said, Dobeš’ second career win was this year against Colorado, a 2-1 shootout victory where Dobeš stopped 22 out of 23 shots and left the game with a .957 save percentage. Mackenzie Blackwood is the starter in Colorado but Wedgewood has taken over the reigns as of late and performed well. Colorado’s starting goalie for Saturday is a bit up in the air as well. Both teams enter the game as two of the hottest teams in the league since the 4 Nations Cup. The Habs are 6-1-3 in their last 10 and haven’t lost in regulation in 2 weeks since their 1-0 loss to Calgary on Saturday, March 8th. Colorado is 8-1-1 in their last 10. They are playing their final game of a 3 game eastern Canada swing where they lost 2-1 to the Leafs but smashed the Senators 5-1 on Thursday. Let’s hope they got their goals out of the way last game. Finally, the Habs play their first game against a Rantanen-less Colorado Avalanche. Instead, we face them with Necas, who has been playing very well for them with 19 points in 21 games. Previous Meeting: January 4th, 2025: Montreal 2 - 1 Colorado (SO)

Montembault confirmed to start Guhle travelling with the team and practiced in a regular contact jersey today. Start of a tough but important road trip. We need these points

Another half-baked GDT. What the heck, these seem to be working. Isles are 5-4-1. Smokin' hot Habs are 7-1-2 and currently in a playoff position. 🔥 Hopefully we get a lot of looks like this from Coach Roy

Red-hot Habitants versus Pack of Pus-bags from Ottawa, coming right up

For my sins, here is a placeholder GDT. Habs have a record of 24 Cups vs the Panthers' 1.

In honour of @The Chicoutimi Cucumber starting us off with a victory last night, I present you with today’s game day thread. Today’s matchup: Montreal Canadiens @ Seattle Kraken - Wednesday, March 11th, 2025 @ 10:30PM EST - Climate Pledge Arena Montreal Canadiens Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Roy - Newhook - Gallagher Laine - Dvorak - Anderson Pezzetta - Evans - Heineman Hutson - Struble Matheson - Carrier Xhekaj - Savard Dobeš Montembeault Seattle Kraken Schwartz - Beniers - Kakko McCann - Wright - Nyman Tolvanen - Stephenson - Eberle Eyssimont - Hayden - Burakovsky Dunn - Larsson Oleksiak - Montour Evans - Mahura Daccord Grubauer Storyline: Tonight’s matchup brings us a battle between two former 1st round draft picks in Shane Wright and Juraj Slafkovský. Shane Wright, having been touted as potentially being the number 1 overall draft pick in the 2022 NHL draft, the Montreal Canadiens chose to select Slovakian Juraj Slafkovský instead. Similar to Filip Zadina a few years earlier, this left Montreal with a target on its back involving another young high draft pick. While Shane Wright never explicitly said anything similar to promising to “fill their nets with pucks”, it took not so much as the look on Wright’s face to know how he felt towards the organization While @The Chicoutimi Cucumber himself as well as some others have often pointed to Logan Cooley potentially having been the best pick of the draft, the pick has turned out to be an alright selection when all things considered. The Habs may have not drafted a Connor McDavid with the 1st overall pick, but they did draft the player who currently has the most points out of anyone selected that year and a player who still has room to grow. When all is said and done, he is currently a 1st line player. Shane Wright has not had the same start to his career, but has been playing well as of late. In the 2025 calendar year, Wright has an impressive 22 points in 27 games. In terms of the game itself, the Habs are coming off a 4-2 victory over the Canucks and tonight’s game against Seattle represents the final game of the Canadiens’ western road trip where they hold a 1-1-1 record. Each game on the trip has held equal significance as the Habs find themselves on the precipice of a playoff position. The Canadiens will look to end their road trip with a winning record this evening. While the Habs are entering this evening on the second end of a back to back, Seattle, on the other hand has had a few days off since their last match, a 4 - 2 loss against the Washington Capitals. While the Kraken didn’t play poorly and outplayed Washington for long stretches of the game, Seattle has lost 3 out of their last 4 and 5 out of their last 7 matches. The Kraken are the first team the Canadiens have faced on this road trip without playoff aspirations and so the Habs should play as though they are the more desperate team. Previous Meetings: October 29th, 2024: Kraken 8 - 2 Habs This reality should be another storyline. Time to get some revenge for that 8-2 shellacking near the beginning of the season in late 2024.

Quick GDT here and I seem to be the guy to do it, living as I do in Canucksland. Canucks fandom is jittery after a do-nothing deadline and few signs of hope from Petterson. They have a back-to-back plus travel tomorrow (Calgary) so from their perspective, they had better win. GO HABS GO!!

Montreal continues their Western Canada road trip today in Calgary after what in my personal opinion will have been their toughest opponent on the road trip in Edmonton. Today’s Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Calgary Flames - Saturday, March 8th @ 7:00 PM - Scotiabank Saddledome Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Beck - Anderson Pezzetta - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Matheson - Carrier Struble - Hutson Xhekaj - Savard Dobeš Montembeault Calgary Flames Huberdeau - Kadri - Coronato Coleman - Backlund - Farabee Sharangovich - Frost - Pospisil Lomberg - Rooney - Zary Hanley - Weegar Bahl - Andersson Bean - Pachal Wolf Vladar Storyline: Both teams enter the contest 1 point out of a playoff spot. There couldn’t be a more meaningful game for both teams than this one at this juncture of the season. Calgary’s situation: Montreal’s situation: Less than 10 days ago, Calgary was mired in an extreme goal scoring drought where they were shutout in consecutive games 3-0, 3-0 against Tampa Bay and Florida respectively. The following game, Nazem Kadri ended their goal scoring droubt but Calgary still found themselves on the losing end of a 2-1 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Since then, the flames scored 6 goals in a 6-3 win over the Flyers and 2 goals in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas stars. While the Flames have gained points in their last 3 games, they thankfully got their law of averages game out of the way against Philadelphia. Should the Habs play relatively stingy D, scoring may be difficult for Calgary which could be the type of solid road game a team needs to be able to play in order to get wins and earn points away from home On Calgary, look for their first line to be their biggest threat. Montreal on the other hand has been playing themselves into a playoff spot rather than out. They are coming off of a 5 game win streak since the 4 Nations Cup break ended and have accumulated important points in each of their 6 games in that timeframe. Nick Suzuki has been on a heater with 13 points (4g, 9a) in those 6 games since the break. Having been shutout last game, he is due to rebound today. Tonight looks to be an exciting contest. Both teams are in similar positions and remained fairly quiet during the trade deadline despite their standing. Management has put faith into their teams, and now it is up to the players to deliver. On a Saturday night, none the less. Previous meeting: Nov 5, 2024: Calgary 3 - 2 Montreal (OT) Our last 10 games against Calgary has been a rather streaky affair. Calgary has won the last 3 games, the Habs won 5 in a row prior to that, and then Calgary the next two. Let’s hope to start the streak in our favour today.