Canadiens Preview & Lines: Montembeault Start, Laine / Matheson

The Montreal Canadiens (8-11-3) are set to play the New York Rangers (12-9-1) on Saturday afternoon, with the puck drop scheduled for 1 pm ET.

The Canadiens snagged their first overtime win of the season on Wednesday evening. The 4-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets was secured via a second-chance effort by captain Nick Suzuki, who scored his eighth goal of the season. A back-and-forth game with multiple lead changes got the Habs starting their road trip on a positive note. Juraj Slafkovsky ended a longstanding goalless drought, scoring his second of the year, his first in 15 games.

Cole Caufield also scored a goal when he was sent in alone on Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, beating him via the five-hole. The tally was symbolic, as it was his 13th of the season, matching his jersey number, and that of his late friend, Johnny Gaudreau.

The Habs will use their starter Sam Montembeault on Saturday against the Rangers, who despite playing well this season, has dropped his last two decisions, including a 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. He will be eyeing his seventh win on the year.

It also looks like Patrik Laine is getting much closer to being in the lineup, participating in full practices with the squad all week, though head coach Martin St. Louis hasn’t given a definitive date for his season debut. Mike Matheson, who has been out the past couple games, is still listed as day-to-day, but seeing as he practiced on the top pairing with Lane Hutson on Friday morning, he is expected to play.

On that note, don’t be surprised if there are any last-minute lineup changes for the Habs. If Matheson is indeed ready in time for puck drop, Jayden Struble is the likely candidate to watch the game from the press box as a healthy scratch. 9

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The New York Rangers are struggling mightily in November, having lost their last five in a row, with their last win coming November 19 against the Vancouver Canucks. Once deemed one of the stronger offensive powerhouses, the Rangers are having a very hard time scoring.

One year removed from winning the NHL’s President’s Trophy, they sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division, tied with the Philadelphia Flyers, who they faced on Friday morning. The Flyers got the best of the Rangers, led by Travis Konecny’s two goals. Vincent Trocheck got the lone goal for New York, and net minder Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves in the loss. Even though he played less than 24 hours ago, Shesterkin may end up facing the Canadiens, despite backup Jonathan Quick’s outstanding numbers (4-1, 1.85, .943).

Even the Rangers’ leading goalscorer, Artemi Panarin, who had a career-high 49 goals and 120 points a year ago, has just two goals in his last six games. Despite the slump, he’s still leading the team with 12 goals and 26 points.

Though the Rangers and Canadiens have a deep-rooted rivalry, both being Original Six teams, it was bolstered significantly in the 2014 playoffs, when Ranger winger Chris Kreider was tripped into Carey Price by Alexei Emelin, knocking him out the rest of the series. Kreider is currently injured, but there’s a chance he may end up playing on Saturday afternoon.

Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Projected New York Rangers Lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Zibanejad – Berard
Edstrom – Kakko – Smith
Vesey – Carrick – Brodzinski

Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Jones – Schneider

Shesterkin
Quick

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The New York Rangers, Saturday, November 30, 2024.

Game 23 of the regular season will be aired on RDS and TSN2. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.