Canadiens Preseason: Monahan Top Line, Slafkovsky New Line

The Montreal Canadiens (0-1-0) host the Ottawa Senators (2-0-0) on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.

We’ll see a fresh batch of players in the Canadiens lineup, as head coach Martin St-Louis will hope to see a little more jump from his team compared to their first preseason outing against the New Jersey Devils.

Forward Sean Monahan practiced alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, as the Canadiens continue to attempt to find a third player for the top line.

Juraj Slafkovsky will feature on the second line with Kirby Dach and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, an interesting combination that could lead to more time and space for Slafkovsky in the offensive zone.

Sean Monahan on line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield at #Habs morning skate ahead of tonight's preseason game vs. Ottawa Senators at Bell Centre #HabsIO

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) September 27, 2023

Veteran goaltender Jake Allen will get the start for the Canadiens. Allen recently expressed his desire to make more starts for the Habs this season, but to regain the confidence of his coach he’ll have to put together a decent streak of strong performances.

Given the discrepancy in talent between both lineups, an easy win for the Habs may seem like a reasonable expectation, but when it comes to games against the Senators, all bets are off.

As Admiral Ackbar once warned us, it’s a trap.

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Ottawa Senators Lineup

The Senators are off to a hot start to their preseason schedule thanks to two consecutive wins against the Toronto Maple Leafs, powered by strong efforts from Tim Stutzle (1GP, 2 G) and Jakob Chychrun (1GP, 2G).

Fortunately for the Canadiens, neither player will be in the lineup as the Senators plan to ice a very young roster which features several players who are no strangers to playing a particularly truculent brand of hockey.

Since both franchises participate in the same prospect tournament, the Canadiens and Senators have faced each other ad nauseam in the last two preseason schedules, leading to an uptick in animosity whenever they take to the ice.

Wednesday night’s matchup is likely to follow the same script as the previous meetings: heavy hits and energetic fights.

It also may end up being a very special night for a local player who grew up cheering for the Habs.

Dorval native Djibril Touré, who recently signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Senators, is among the 23 players who made the trip to Montreal.

McKay fights a much bigger Toure. It goes as expected. McKay got a late shot in. pic.twitter.com/tmQ2Orgln3

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 18, 2023

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• Carey Price

Ottawa Senators Injuries

• Shane Pinto (Cap Space)
• Josh Norris (Shoulder)

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines

Ottawa Senators 23-Man Projected Roster

Forwards

Kastelic – Smejkal – Imama

Bailey – MacEwen – Joseph

Kelly – Ostapchuk – Chartier

Reinhardt – Greig – Sokolov

Kubalik

Defensemen

Hamonic – Bernard-Docker

Brannstrom – Dillon Heatherington

Sebrango – Kleven

Toure

Goalies

Sogaard

Korpisalo

Game Notes:

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