Canadiens Preview And Lines: Lineup Set To Change

The Montreal Canadiens (2-3-0) will face the New York Islanders (1-1-2) on Saturday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Looking For Momentum

The Habs fell apart in their matchup against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, a game which was costly on both the scoresheet and in the locker room. Mike Matheson left the game early in the second period, and did not return due to an upper-body injury. It was a tough blow for the Habs, as Matheson is usually the busiest player in the lineup, and ranked among the top five players in the entire NHL for ice time last season.

In his absence, rookie standout Lane Hutson took on a more prominent role, with over 30 minutes of ice time to his credit. With the exorbitant ice time (30:05), Hutson ranked second all time in Canadiens history for ice time by a player 20 years or younger in a single game. He just missed out on the record by 80 seconds (Brett Clark 31:25).

Matheson did not partake in the team’s practice on Friday, and nor did fellow blueliner Kaiden Guhle. Guhle did manage to finish the game on Thursday, but seemed to have injured himself off the opening face-off to start the second period when he was slammed into the boards by Kings forward Adrian Kempe. Guhle, who missed almost the entire preseason while recovering from an appendectomy, has looked good since returning to the lineup, and  currently leads all Canadiens defencemen in scoring, with one goal and three assists in five games.

Kempe/Guhle incident: pic.twitter.com/Woy6Hzr4lJ

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 18, 2024

Consequently, the Habs proceeded to Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket on Friday. The 2021 1st rounder currently has two goals and two assists through two games for the farm team.

It remains to be seen who will play on Saturday, as the team did not practice once they arrived in Long Island, but given that both Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky are nursing injuries, there’s a strong possibility we will see different lines and pairings once the team takes to the ice for the pre-game warm up.

We do know that goaltender Cayden Primeau will be given the start.

On Topic: Top 20 Montreal Canadiens Prospects Voted By Habs Fans

The Islanders will host the Habs while attempting to put their own underwhelming play in the rearview mirror. They did manage to beat the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, but it’s currently their only win of the season. To their credit, two of their losses took place in overtime, but it’s only fair to say the team doesn’t seem ready to take the next step.

Anthony Duclair and Brock Nelson are the only players in the lineup who have more than one goal to their credit, as well as being the only members of the organization to produce more than two points.

The Canadiens held a 2-0-1 edge versus Patrick Roy’s team last season, with the home team winning every game in the season series. It’s still very early, but this is the type of game the Canadiens cannot afford to lose if they have any hope to avoid finishing among the bottom-five teams in the league once again.

Potential Montreal Canadiens Lineup

New York Islanders Projected Lineup

Duclair – Horvat – Barzal

Tsyplakov – Nelson – Palmieri

Lee – Pageau – Holmstrom

Cizikas – Maclean – Gauthier

Romanov – Dobson

Pelech – Pulock

Reilly – Mayfield

Varlamov

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Los Angeles Kings October 17, 2024.

Game 6 of the regular season will be aired on City TV, Sportsnet East, and TVA Sports. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.