Canadiens Pre Game
Preview And Lines: Top Line Absent, Guhle and Xhekaj Set To Play
The Montreal Canadiens are set to face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Getting a clear ride on the projected lineup is rather difficult, as head coach Martin St-Louis has been rather open bout his desire to avoid any injuries prior to the start of the regular season. The last time these two met, an ugly hit by Senators forward Ridly Greig set up a series of violent plays, fights, and late hits.
In the end, Kirby Dach ended up fighting Greig, while Arber Xhekaj was kicked out for his late hit on Tim Stutzle. Even though the Senators are the ones who kicked off the festivities, the Canadiens responded tenfold, a clear sign that they’re sick of being the team that suffers injuries via illegal plays.
They’re not trying to win any morality contest. The NHL has failed to protect its stars for decades now, and as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat them, beat them up. Okay, that’s not a real saying, but there’s no doubt the Canadiens are taking matters into their own hands after years of frustration regarding injuries.
On Topic: Canadiens Recap: Dach Fights, Xhekaj Ejected, Struble Shines
With that in mind, head coach Martin St-Louis will not use his first line in Ottawa, to avoid any potential injuries. In that same vein, Dach will not make the trip to Ottawa.
We’re also expecting call-ups from the AHL to be in the mix, though at this point we’re unsure which Laval Rocket players will receive a promotion.
No Kirby Dach.
Guhle will play.
AHL callups coming. https://t.co/7vRAV05q3B— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 5, 2024
The good news is that Kaiden Guhle is ready to go, and will feature in the lineup for the first time since his appendicitis surgery. Fellow defenceman Arber Xhekaj will also be in the lineup, much to the delight of the Senators.
As it stands, we also don’t know the lines that will be run by the Senators, as they opted not to practice ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Simply put, both coaches are being quite sly as to their lineup choices.
Hopefully, this game features more hockey and fewer penalties, as the preseason has offered the Habs very few opportunities to focus on 5v5 play. If the Canadiens release their projected lines we will update the preview accordingly, but for now, we’re left guessing as to the exact lineup.
UPDATE: The Canadiens lines and pairings are now accurate, as per the team.
* Potential Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Emil Heineman |
Alex Newhook | Kirby Dach | Juraj Slafkovsky |
Brendan Gallagher | Jake Evans | Josh Anderson |
Joel Armia | Christian Dvorak | Oliver Kapanen |
Mike Matheson | Kaiden Guhle |
Lane Hutson | David Savard |
Jayden Struble | Justin Barron |
Cayden Primeau |
Samuel Montembeault |
*Potential Ottawa Senators Projected Lineup
Tkachuk – Stutzle – Batherson
Greig – Norris – Perron
Highmore – Pinto – Amadio
Gregor – Gaudette – McEwen
Sanderson – Yakemchuk
Chabot – Zub
Kleven – Jensen
Ullmark
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Ottawa Senators:
Game 6 of the preseason will be aired on RDS, and TSN5. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.