Canadiens Preview and Lines: Original Six Rivals Set To Battle

The Montreal Canadiens (8-12-3) are set to face the Boston Bruins (11-11-3) on Sunday afternoon, with the puck drop scheduled for 3 pm ET.

This is the second leg of back-to-back games, as the Canadiens are fresh off a frustrating 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers. Montreal was less than 30 seconds away from heading to overtime for the third-straight game, when a costly late penalty sunk what was otherwise a great effort from Martin St-Louis’ troops. The Habs held a 15-6 advantage in high-danger scoring chances at 5v5, but a series of terrible calls by referees Kelly Sunderland and Francis Charron led to a pair of powerplay goals by the Rangers.

A costly double minor penalty by Kirby Dach in the dying minutes of the game led to yet another Rangers powerplay goal, this time with just 22.5 seconds left on the clock. On a positive note; Mike Matheson, who had missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury, scored the opening goal of the game for the Canadiens.

The game also featured a spirited fight between Josh Anderson and Jacob Trouba, which ended in a decisive win for the speedy winger.

Josh Anderson feeds Jacob Trouba his lunch in a rather fun fight. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fa4zju2QOS

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

Fortunately, despite Saturday’s frustrating game, the Canadiens will have an opportunity to forget about the awful officiating as they face the Bruins less than 24-hours later.

No lineup adjustments to the Canadiens lineup are expected, though given the difficulty involved in playing back-to-back afternoon games in different cities, there’s a healthy chance we may see a game-time change on the lineup sheet. Patrik Laine did make the trip with the team, but there’s been no exact timetable given for his return.

As for the starting goaltender, the Habs will likely go with their 25-year-old backup, Primeau. His last start was Wednesday against the Blue Jackets, where he secured his second win of the season. It was very encouraging to see him win, but it’s hard to ignore how poorly the Canadiens have developed Primeau since he was drafted in 2017.

MUST READ: Examining A Potential Canadiens Trade Involving Mike Matheson

The Boston Bruins, much like the Canadiens, have had their fair share of struggles. They have lost two of their last three, only scoring one goal in the two losses. With the inconsistent play, they became the first NHL team this season to fire their head coach, when they relieved Jim Montgomery back on November 19. Assistant coach Joe Sacco took over, and has established a 3-2-0 record since then.

In a fun twist, Montgomery was hired five days later when the St. Louis Blues fired their head coach Drew Bannister, and quickly signed a five-year contract with the Montreal native.

David Pastrnak leads the team with eight goals and 22 points on the year, which is considered a down year, at least to his high standards. Sunday’s game will be the 700th career game for the Czech sniper.

The matinée will be the second time the two rivals face each other this season, with the Habs dropping a 6-4 game at TD Garden on October 10. Mark Kastelic had a pair of goals for Boston, whereas Brendan stood out for the Canadiens with his own two-goal game.

Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Projected Boston Bruins Lineup

Geekie – Zacha – Pastrnak
Marchand – Lindholm – Brazeau
Frederic – Coyle – Johnson
Beecher – Kastelic – Koepke

Lohrei – McAvoy
Wotherspoon – Carlo
Zadorov – Peeke

Swayman
Korpisalo

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Boston Bruins, Sunday, December 1, 2024.

Game 24 of the regular season will be aired on Sportsnet and RDS. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.