Canadiens Preview & Lines: Montembeault To Start Versus Vegas

The Montreal Canadiens (7-10-2) are set to host the Vegas Golden Knights (12-6-2) in a special Saturday night matchup, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. The game is the annual ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ night.

The Habs have enjoyed an extended break, having been off since Monday night, but are hoping that the time away won’t play a detriment to their game. They have won two in a row, and last game, they were able to shut down the league’s best player, and one of the best duos in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, with an impressive 3-0 shutout win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Led by goals by Brendan Gallagher, Kaiden Guhle and Jake Evans, and a 30-save stellar performance by Sam Montembeault, they played a full 60 minutes and with the victory, secured their seventh win of the season.

This is the second time that the Habs have won two in a row this year, but the magical three peat hasn’t been accomplished by the squad since last season.

It looks as though Montreal will ride the curtails of the red-hot Montembeault between the pipes. Despite his losing record of 6-8-0-1, he does have two shutout victories, a 2.85 goals against average, and a .906 save percentage.

On Topic: Habs Highlights: Total Team Effort Leads To Great Canadiens Win

The Golden Knights are first place in the Pacific Division, and have been at the top, or quite close, all season long. They also bring a lot of firepower with their team scoring a collective 75 goals, good for fourth place in the NHL.

This is the final stop on their Canadian tour that started last Wednesday evening when they were shutout 3-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following night on Thursday, they were able to squeak a 3-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators. Their team leader in points, Jack Eichel, scored a goal, while Pavel Dorofeyev improved upon his team-leading mark of 10 goals.

The Golden Knights will opt with regular starter Adin Hill between the pipes, whereas team leaders Mark Stone and Alex Pietrangelo are a game-time decision, as they were held out of the lineup on Thursday.

Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Lineup

Barbashev – Eichel – Holtz

Hertl – Roy – Kolesar

Howden – Karlsson – Dorofeyev

Pearson – Schwindt – Burke

Hanifin – Whitecloud

Theodore – McNabb

Hang – Korczak

Hill

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, November 23, 2024.

Game 20 of the regular season will be aired on Sportsnet, TVA Sports and City TV. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.