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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.

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.

I will update when starting goalie gets announced along with any roster moves. Best part of the hockey week so far is the signing of Jake Evans. Go Habs Go - We need a win tonight to stay in the playoff hunt and a win on Saturday to keep Calgary out of the playoffs.

I’m hoping for a more structured game but I’m kind of expecting some violence. Buffalo had a couple of dirty bastards on Saturday - challenging Dobes ?? Really? Xhekaj desperately wanted to pound that guy all game. Are Hutson, Struble going to continue league leading play? Has Montreal stumbled upon a league leading defensive pair? Too early to tell but they are on the way. Expecting Montembault

These three guys are going to generate many points together

No info yet about starting goalies or injury updates. Go Habs Go

Slafkovsky continues to tell reporters in interviews that he intends to play like Brady Tkachuk every game. How wonderful would that be! Dach is out with LBI that is rumoured to be his other knee but considered day to day. I think we need to evaluate Dach’s play next season but I’m not exactly brimming with confidence that he isn’t a bust. Montembault in net tonight Owen Beck has been recalled

I wonder if Evans will be here on Feb. 22 when the season resumes? Is the rest going to reinvigorate the team or are we gonna keep losing? Do we have a hope in hell of making the playoffs? What is Marty going to do with the lines? Is Slafkovsky going to be playing with Gallagher and Dvorak again? A young Bob Gainey looks like Zuckerberg

Posting since there’s no thread by 1st intermission. Today’s Matchup: Tampa Bay Lightning @ Montreal Canadiens - Sunday, February 9th @ 1PM - Centre Bell Tampa Bay Lineup Guentzel - Point - Goncalves Hagel - Cirelli - Chaffee Girgensons - Paul - Eyssimont Atkinson - Glendening - Duke Hedman - Raddysh McDonagh - Cernak Lilleberg - Perbix Vasilevskiy Halverson Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Dach - Anderson Laine - Evans - Armia Beck - Dvorak - Gallagher Hutson - Matheson Struble - Carrier Xhekaj - Savard Dobeš Montembeault Storyline: Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday Habs fans where the Habs hold a 16-14-1 (tie against Philadelphia in 2002) record since they began playing their Super Bowl Sunday matinees every Sunday in 1990. There were a few exceptions where they didn’t play due to things like lockouts, etc. They hold a 21-14-1-2 overall on Super Bowl Sundays including games they played prior to it becoming a yearly thing. The Habs enter the contest amidst a rough patch within their schedule and hope to gain a crucial win for the team prior to a 2 week layoff for the 4 Nations Cup. A few weeks ago, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to gain a 2-0 season series lead against their modern day rivals. After the match, Tampa coach John Cooper referred to the division as being much closer than it has been in the recent past and that the days of having easy matches within the division are long gone. The Habs have been shutout for 2 consecutive games at home so they will need to find some offense from some of their top 6 if they look to stand a chance. The Lightning are entering the game after en extremely solid week, having defeated Ottawa twice and Detroit once both of which are teams that they desperately needed to beat as they are in direct competition for the final few playoff spots. In fact, while Ottawa entered the week with the 3rd playoff spot from our division, Tampa Bay now holds the spot after a very successful week. Finally, Kucherov is a late scratch today due to an upper body injury. Hopefully the Habs can take advantage.

It’s almost game time and no GDT?

Looks like the Habs need to get on another winning streak so let’s get this thing going… Tonight’s matchup: Montreal Canadiens @ San Jose Sharks - Tuesday, February 4th @ 10:30PM EST - Shark Tank (SAP Center) San Jose Sharks Lineup Eklund - Celebrini - Toffoli* Zetterlund - Poturalski - Smith Graff - Kunin - Goodrow Grundstrom - White - Duehr Walman - Thrun Ferraro - Thompson Mukhamadullin - Liljegren Georgiev Vanecek Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Dach - Laine Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia Matheson - Hutson Xhekaj - Carrier Struble - Savard Montembeault Dobeš Storyline Had the date been late October, 2021, one of the main storylines for the Habs heading into the Shark Tank would have been the mere fact that they had yet to find a victory in the building in the 21st century, having not done so since 1999. Since October 28th, 2021, however, the Habs have managed to come out victorious in 3 of their last 5 appearances in the building. Heading into today’s matchup, the Habs enter the game as the favorites to win. San Jose is suffering from many key injuries, including one of the Habs’ former players Tyler Toffoli who enters the contest as a game time decision. Will he enter the game in order to face his former team? The sharks have also recently traded their leading scorer in Granlund. Finally, their back end leaves much to be desired and Georgiev has not exactly been having a stellar season. The opportunity is there for the taking and the Habs should be desperate for a win. The Habs enter the contest with a couple of key injuries themselves but must learn to play with the lineup they have. After Dach and Laine were benched for much of the 3rd period last game, they need to come out and play their best today. Confidence is crucial with this bunch so let’s hope things begin to click again starting tonight. Another thing to note is that Montembeault gets the start tonight. More often than not, Dobeš has started the first of the two games in back to backs. Although I expect Dobeš to start tomorrow, this does theoretically give the Habs the opportunity to have their starting goalie both legs of the back to back. If Dobeš does play, however, he faces the tougher team and will play in front of a potentially tired group in their second leg of a back to back.

With a little less than 12 hours until game time, the Habs have another late game tonight (based on their regular timezone) when they face the LA Kings at the Crypto.com Arena at 10:30PM EST this evening. Tonight’s matchup: Montreal Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings - Wednesday, February 5th @ 10:30PM - Crypto.com Arena LA Kings Lineup Turcotte - Kopitar - Kempe Fiala - Byfield - Laferriere Foegele - Danault - Moore Jeannot - Lewis - Thomas Gavrikov - Doughty Edmundson - Clarke Moverare - Spence Kuemper Rittich Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Dach - Anderson Laine - Evans - Armia Beck - Dvorak - Gallagher Matheson - Hutson Struble - Carrier Xhekaj - Savard Dobeš Montembeault Storyline Until something changes in the “Great White North”, fans will always be reminded about the last time the Montreal Canadiens (or any Canadian team) won a Stanley Cup when these two teams square off. Heading into Wednesday’s game, both teams have something to play for. While many fans, critics and analysts have written the Habs off after their loss on Sunday to the Anaheim Ducks, should the Habs come out of this road trip with 4 out of a possible 6 points, things will no longer be necessarily looking so bleak. Currently, the Kings are only holding on to their playoff spot by 1 point, so tonight’s matchup could prove to be crucial for the morale of the team. The Canadiens on the other hand are sitting out of a playoff spot by 5 points but can move to within 3 points with a victory this evening. A few things to note prior to tonight’s game outside of the importance of the matchup in and of itself is that Drew Doughty has recently returned to the Kings’ lineup. After a long layoff due to an injury in the preseason, Doughty has played 3 games for the Kings and registered his first point in his last game. He will be a welcome addition to the team as Los Angeles has managed to score more than 2 goals in only 3 of their 14 games during this calendar year of 2025. Yes, this means that they have scored 2 goals or less in 11 games out of 14. While their defense is stingy, the Habs game plan needs to be to keep that number to 2 or less once again. With that being said, the Kings are coming off of a 4-2 win against Carolina and have had 3 days off since that win on Saturday. The Habs having had to travel from Southern California to Northern California and now back to Southern California are likely to be the more tired of the two teams, especially having played last night. From the Habs end, outside of their top players, it will be interesting to watch how Evans and Armia fare tonight, both of which have had an extremely effective California roadtrip. Here’s to hoping they can continue their succcess and perhaps even get Laine going. Finally, while the goaltending has not been confirmed as of yet, it is likely that Dobeš will get the nod tonight. Let’s hope he regains the form he had in his first few games with the big club and helps the team come out with an important victory this evening. On the Kings’ end, Kuemper has had a solid season for them. Time will tell if Dobeš can outduel the Kings’ goalie. Personally, I believe in Dobeš. Previous Meeting October 17, 2024: Kings 4 - 1 Habs

Kind of feels like an inflection point type of game. Habs are riding a 4 game losing streak and a win may propel us back to better play and more wins. Another loss, especially if the Habs lose big, could send us spinning. I want a win and to do that Montreal must overcome the loss of Guhle and Montembault needs a strong game. I don’t want the losing streak to continue…

I like smoke and lightnin' Heavy metal thunder Racin' with the wind And the feelin' that I'm under Yeah, darlin', go make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your shots at once and Explode into space Like a true nature's child We were born, born to beat wild We can climb so high I never wanna die Born to beat wild, Baby !!!

Caufield- Suzuki- Slafkovsky Newhook - Dach - Laine Anderson - Evans - Armia Pezzetta - Dvorak - Gallagher Hutson - Matheson Guhle - Carrier Xhekaj - Savard Montembeault Preliminary lineups, subject to change. The first set of projected lineups I found had Reinbacher in a non-contact jersey with Guhle on the second pair. Somebody took the practice lines reflecting gameday line a little too far.

Past two GDT makers put a great deal of effort and care into their threads. I’m in a lazy mood

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. The Habs have been burning rubber with two nitrous-fueled comebacks - first, Laine came up clutch against the Rangers in overtime, and then a late-game lamp-lighter by Evans got the checkered flag versus the Lightning. It’s time to put the pedal to the metal in Motor City and leave the Red Wings in our dust.

The Canadiens are at a crossroads, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. After a crushing loss to Toronto that threatened to derail their playoff hopes, the team found a spark—a massive character win over the Rangers the very next day. Now, with the final playoff spots within reach, Montreal faces off against a powerhouse Lightning team. Momentum is building in all the right places. The core is firing on all cylinders, with the team’s key players showing real growth and resilience. Confidence is growing, and the chemistry is undeniable. This is more than just a game—it’s a test of everything they’ve fought for. With every shift, the Canadiens are proving they belong in the hunt. Tuesday is a critical tilt—an opportunity to seize a moment that could define their push for the playoffs.

After a crushing defeat, the Habs need a win to show their resilience, restore their pride, keep the playoff hopes alive and remind everyone of their potential.

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First NHL game ever for the Canadiens Franchise in Salt Lake City. Lineup: #13 Cole Caufield #14 Nick Suzuki #20 Juraj Slafkovský #35 Alex Newhook #77 Kirby Dach #92 Patrik Laine #55 Michael Pezzetta #71 Jake Evans #40 Joel Armia #17 Josh Anderson #28 Christian Dvorak #11 Brendan Gallagher #48 Lane Hutson #8 Mike Matheson #21 Kaiden Guhle #45 Alexandre Carrier #72 Arber Xhekaj #58 David Savard #35 Samuel Montembeault (Starter) #75 Jakub Dobes Hockey Club: Clayton Keller Logan Cooley Nick Schmaltz Mattias Maccelli Barrett Hayton Josh Doan Jack McBain Nick Bjugstad Lawson Crouse Alex Kerfoot Kevin Stenlund Michael Carcone Mikhail Sergachev Olli Maatta Ian Cole Michael Kesselring Juuso Valimaki John Marino Karel Vejmelka (Starter) Connor Ingram

Game day thread #4. Well boys, after last night’s win, I decided I would follow up going to the Vancouver game (my first game in awhile) by attending tonight’s game as well. Personally, I get the sense that tonight will be even tougher, but am hoping for another positive outcome. Without further ado… Tonight’s matchup Dallas Stars @ Montreal Canadiens - Saturday, January 11th @ 7:00PM - Centre Bell Dallas Stars Lineup Robertson - Hintz - Dadonov Benn - Duchene - Johnston Steel - Bourque - Stankoven Back - Hyry - Blackwell Heiskanen - Lyubushkin Lindell - Lundkvist Harley - Dumba Oettinger DeSmith Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Pezzetta - Dach - Newhook Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Hutson - Matheson Guhle - Carrier Xhekaj - Struble Montembault Dobeš Storyline: Montreal comes into the game as one of the two hottest teams in the East, with the other being the Detroit Red Wings. The Habs are riding a 3 game win streak, have won 9 out of their last 11 games, and have taken out many of the league’s top teams and recent cup winners in the process. Dallas enters the Bell Center as one of the two hottest teams in the West, along with the Los Angeles Kings. The Stars are currently riding a 6 game win streak and will look to continue their scintillating play this evening. The story is a tale of two well oiled machines confronting each other in battle. Which team will be able to continue riding their wave into Sunday morning? We will find out when the game begins in less than 12 hours. This will be Montreal’s first matchup of the season against Dallas, however they will meet again in less than a week on January 16th.

Game day thread #3. If it ain’t broke don’t fix so I will keep things fairly similar. Game #41 brings us to the half way point of the season. Montreal Canadiens @ Washington Capitals - Friday, January 10th @ 7:00PM Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Pezzetta - Dach - Newhook Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Hutson - Matheson Guhle - Carrier Xhekaj - Struble Montembault Dobeš ** Starting Washington Capitals Lineup Ovechkin - Strome - Protas McMichael - Dubois - Wilson Miroshnichenko - Eller - Raddysh Duhaime - Dowd - Mangiapane Sandin - Carlson Chychrun - Van Riemsdyk Fehervary - Roy Thompson Lindgren Storyline: Both Montreal and Washington are coming off of thrilling overtime wins against the Vancouver Canucks. Montreal’s win 5-4, with Nick Suzuki sniping a power play goal in the extra frame. Washington’s game was a little tighter defensively, on the scoreboard at least, with Pierre-Luc Dubois playing very well and scoring both goals in the Capital’s 2-1 overtime win. Can the Canadiens keep up their impressive collective play as a unit, even with Patrik Laine once again on the sidelines? Or will the Capitals and Pierre-Luc Dubois frustrate his hometown team and come out with the victory? Also… Alex Ovechkin continues to chase down Gretzky’s scoring record. Logan Thompson, having not been named to team Canada for the 4 nations cup holds an impressive 17-2-2 record this year. Sam Montembault having been named to the team means that both goalies will be coming into the game with something to prove. Washington leads the season series 2-0 October 31st, 2024: 6-3 Washington December 7th, 2024: 4-2 Washington January 10th, 2025: TBD

I am excited to say that I’ll be at the game Monday night for the first time since I moved back from Southern California a little over 6 years ago. As a result, I’ll get the game day thread started early and update with any new lineup changes that may evolve tomorrow. I am hoping Laine will be in the lineup! Vancouver @ Montreal - Monday, January 6th @ 7:30pm Vancouver Canucks Debrusk - Miller - Boeser Di Giuseppe - Suter - Garland Joshua - Blueger - Sherwood Hoglander - Sasson - Heinen Brisebois - Myers Soucy - Juulsen Forbert - Desharnais Lankinen Silovs Montreal Canadiens Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky Newhook - Dach - Pezzetta Anderson - Dvorak - Gallagher Heineman - Evans - Armia Hutson - Carrier Guhle - Matheson Xhekaj - Struble Montembault Dobes Storyline The Habs look to continue their recent play against a depleted Canucks lineup. Currently, the Canucks are without their top player Quinn Hughes and one of their top forwards in Elias Pettersson. While Lankinen has been a mainstay, Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko also remains out. For the Canadiens, both Savard and Laine remain day to day.