Canadiens Preview And Lines: Patrik Laine Set To Make Debut

The Montreal Canadiens (8-13-3) are set to host the New York Islanders (9-10-6) at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Even though they played well enough to earn at least one win, Martin St-Louis’ team was treated to a double dose of frustration on the weekend, as a strong effort by his players against the New York Rangers was sunk by a rather poor showing by the referees, including a handful of confusing calls that were impossible to justify.

They had an opportunity to put the game behind them, as they faced the Bruins in Boston less than 24 hours later, but a lapse in focus led to three goals against in a little more than one minute, making a comeback borderline impossible. The team did wake up in the third period thanks to a pair of goals from Cole Caufield and a great one-timer from Emil Heineman, but the game had already been decided at that point.

If they’re to put an end to their two-game losing streak, the Canadiens will require a complete team effort that lasts the entirety of the game, a rare occurrence for teams in the midst of a rebuild.

There is some good news to discuss, as many Habs players, including Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield have upped their 5v5 scoring pace by leaps and bounds this season, but a lack of offence from the blue line has mitigated most of the improvements.

Forward Patrik Laine has been cleared to play, which means Tuesday night’s game will mark his official regular-season debut with the Canadiens. Seeing as Laine has not played in the NHL since 2023, fans will have to extend a generous grace period to the 26-year-old sniper. It will take him weeks, if not months to find his rhythm, which isn’t out of the ordinary when discussing serious injuries.

Laine practiced alongside Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach, on what seems to be considered the team’s second line for the time being. St-Louis also confirmed Laine will be used on the team’s top powerplay unit.

You’ve gotta be at least 6′3″ or you can’t sit with us! #Habs new line of Laine-Dach-Slafkovský ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/54EWGAbPmo

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) December 3, 2024

ON TOPIC: Montreal Canadiens Analysis: Comparing Year-To-Year Production

Things haven’t gone to plan in Montreal, but very few people were expecting the Canadiens to qualify for the playoffs this season. The Islanders, on the other hand, are attempting to compete, as evidenced by the firing of head coach Lane Lambert last season, and the consequent hiring of former Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy.

While you can always count on Roy to bring a certain element of passion and energy to the table, his time with the Islanders has been far from encouraging. Since taking over as head coach, Roy has produced a 29-22-11 record, good for just 69 points in 62 games. As it stands, the Islanders are set to miss the playoffs, despite producing fairly respectable underlying numbers at 5v5.

Fortunately for Roy, there’s plenty of hockey left to play, but if the Islanders are to climb the standings, they’ll need to receive a little more offence from almost everyone in the lineup. Kyle Palmieri is the only Islanders player to reach 20 points this season, with 10 goals and 10 assists in 25 games. Noah Dobson is the team’s most productive defenceman, and he has only managed to register his name on the scoresheet 10 times (1G, 9A).

Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Projected New York Islanders Lineup

Lee – Horvat – Holmstrom

Tsyplakov – Nelson – Palmieri

MacLean – Pageau – Wahlstrom

Martin – Cizikas – Fasching

Romanov – Pulock

George – Dobson

Cholowski – Mayfield

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The New York Islanders, Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

Game 24 of the regular season will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.