Canadiens Game 77: Montembeault Starts, RHP Out With Injury

The Montreal Canadiens (30-40-6) will look to take advantage of the slumping Carolina Hurricanes (47-18-9) on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Canadiens and Hurricanes are both looking to bounce back after a string of losses this week, but the Hurricanes may have a much dire need of the victory than the eliminated Canadiens.

Last Saturday At Home

The Canadiens have just five games left to the 2022-2023 season, and they’re looking to make a statement and take some momentum into next season.

One player who’s certainly made a statement in this second half of the season has been Mike Matheson.

With six assists in his last five games, he’s been the most productive Canadiens skater during their last stretch, all while routinely playing well over 25 minutes a night.

His eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points in 42 games put him near a 60-point-pace over a full 82-game season; an excellent offensive burgeoning for a 29-year-old that has flourished under head coach Martin St-Louis.

Unfortunately, it seems the Canadiens might be without rookie sensation Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who missed practice on Friday for treatments.

Injured winger Joel Armia will be making his return to the lineup in Harvey-Pinard’s stead

David Savard is also expected to miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury, after having missed Thursday night’s tilt against the Panthers.

Kirby Dach is also still ruled out for at least a week with an upper-body injury, meaning the Canadiens’ lines will remain the same for tonight’s game.

The Canadiens are giving Samuel Montembeault the start tonight against the Hurricanes as they continue to test their organizational goaltending structure prior to the end of the season.

Finishing On The Right Foot

The Carolina Hurricanes have been on a little slump as of late, despite punching their ticket to the NHL playoffs earlier this week.

Over their last 10 games, the potent Hurricanes have a disappointing record of 4-5-1; with five of those losses coming in their last six games.

It’s understandable to see the Hurricanes falter a bit, with a season-ending injury to top forward Andrei Svechnikov taking a big bite out of their offence.

The Hurricanes come into tonight’s game winless in their last three games and will look to get back to their winning ways and finish the season on the right foot before heading into the playoffs.

With the New Jersey Devils only one point behind them in the race to the top of the Metropolitan division, top players like Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas will need to take their offence up a notch to carry the team passed the finish line.

A win tonight could mean the difference between playing the New York Rangers, one of the hottest teams in the NHL, instead of the New York Islanders in a first-round matchup.

That’s all the motivation you need to get up for a big game in Montreal on a Saturday night.

Despite their string of losses, the Hurricanes are considered a heavy -275 favourite in tonight’s game according to recent NHL betting odds.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game:

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• Kaiden Guhle (Injured)
• Joel Armia (Day-To-Day)
• Kirby Dach (Injured)
• Christian Dvorak (Injured Reserve)
• Josh Anderson (Injured Reserve)
• Arber Xhekaj (Injured Reserve)
• Juraj Slafkovsky (Injured Reserve)
• Cole Caufield (Injured Reserve)
• Sean Monahan (LTIR)
• Carey Price (LTIR)
• Paul Byron (LTIR)

Carolina Hurricanes Injuries

• Jake Gardiner (LTIR)
• Max Pacioretty (LTIR)
• Ondrej Kase (LTIR)
• Andrei Svechnikov (Injured Reserve)
• Teuvo Teravainen (Day-To-Day)

Montreal Canadiens Previous Lineup

Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lineup

Jarvis-Aho-Necas

Noesen-Kotkaniemi-Puljujarvi

Martinook-Staal-Fast

Drury-Stastny-Stepan

Defence:

Slavin-Burns

Skjei-Pesce

Gostisbehere-Chatfield

Goalies:

Raanta

Andersen

Special Teams

How to Watch Or Listen