Canadiens Preview & Lines: Maintaining Momentum Vs. Nashville

The Montreal Canadiens (9-13-3) are set to host the Nashville Predators (7-12-6) on Thursday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Martin St-Louis’ team is coming off an emotional win against the Islanders on Tuesday, which saw Patrik Laine make his debut with the Habs. Even though it was clear Laine is still rusty, to be expected given that he hadn’t played since 2023, he still managed to score the opening goal of the game, via a perfectly placed shot on the powerplay.

Samuel Montembeault and Nick Suzuki took over from there, with the former saving 30 of the 31 shots sent his way, and the latter securing the win with his second overtime goal of the season. Defenceman Mike Matheson bounced back from his difficult game against the Bruins, playing over 25 minutes in all situations.

No lineup changes are expected on Thursday, including the starting goaltender, which means Montembeault is set to guard the net.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Instant Recap: Welcome To Montreal, Patrik Laine

As for the Predators, things haven’t quite gone to plan this season. The team was hoping to build upon their surprising playoff appearance in 2023-24, but they may have to re-evaluate their plans going forward, as they’re one of the two teams that have registered fewer points than the Canadiens this season.

Their underlying numbers suggest they should be a little higher in the standings, but despite being able to maintain a healthy control of shots during most games, Nashville struggles to generate quality chances, while allowing opponents free rein in the defensive zone.

Nashville has scored just 58 goals this season, far and away the worst result in the NHL. Consequently, defenceman Roman Josi leads the team in scoring, with just seven goals and 15 assists, and is the only player in the Predators’ lineup to reach the 20-point mark. Filip Forsberg is next on the list, with 17 points in 25 games, with Ryan O’Reilly firmly in third even though he’s only registered his name on the scoresheet 12 times.

Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup

Projected Nashville Predators Lineup

Forsberg – O’Reilly – Nyquist

Marchessault – Novak – Stamkos

Jankowski – Svechkov – Evangelista

L’Heureux – Sissons – Smith

Josi – Carrier

Skjei – Blankenburg

Wilsby – Schenn

Saros

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Nashville Predators, Thursday, December 5, 2024.

Game 26 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.