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< LINEUP NEWS - The Canadiens are scheduled for a morning skate at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. Keep an eye on the Canadiens social accounts for any potential lineup news. For the full official lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop. > EDIT: Still nothing on the morning skate ... stepping away from computer ... anyone who finds something feel free (as if you wouldn't, but makes my ego feel better to "give permission" ... LOL)

Arber stays in the lineup (MSL's Morning presser) ... presumably Dobeš starts

Leafs, Habs game one… The rivalry isn’t quite the same but as we begin to meet each other in the playoffs you can bet the hate will return. Second Half Slaf promises to start playing in October this season and that would help keep the Suzuki line among the top in the league. But our season is about the depth of talent that is forming GO HABS GO

Good test for what is likely our third line to start the season. Demidov will surely score a hat trick tonight. Amazing opportunity for Engstrom to be top pair with Matheson. Amazing opportunity for Arber to be playing with such a skilled player. I’m curious to see how he does. Go Habs Go

Third game of the pre-season, a tussle with the traditional rivals from the centre of the universe. Will there be enough regulars in the two lineups to make this meaningful?

Struble and Hutson reunited 😁 I hope we spank them 7-2 right back

Game 2 line up https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/montreal-canadiens-lineup-vs-philadelphia-big-opportunity-for-joshua-roy-xhekaj/

The other split squad takes on the Flyers at the Forum. Hopefully not quite like this ...

First GDT of the new (pre-) season!

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