Canadiens Preview & Lines: Montembeault Start, Struble Scratched

The Montreal Canadiens (11-16-3) are set to host the struggling Buffalo Sabres (11-16-4) at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

It’s a match-up of two teams attempting to take the next step in their rebuild, though in the Canadiens’ case, the pressure is nowhere near a boiling point, whereas things in Buffalo have seemingly gone off the rails after a decade of ineptitude.

Montreal played well enough to win on Saturday, but their endless lack of discipline combined with a great performance by Connor Hellebuyck resulted in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. At the very least, it was a much better performance than they offered their fans the previous game, which ended in an embarrassing 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Canadiens can certainly beat a team such as the Sabres, but seeing as they lack any semblance of consistency, Tuesday’s game could end up being a classic trap, with the Sabres desperate to put an end to their recent slid down the standings.

Goaltender Samuel Montembeault will start the game versus the Sabres, while Justin Barron will take Jayden Struble’s spot among the defensive pairings.

ON TOPIC: Rebuild Lessons On Tap As Struggling Sabres Visit The Canadiens

As for the visiting Sabres, let’s just say after over a decade of failed seasons, fans are starting to lose patience, and rightfully so. The team has multiple first-overall picks in the lineup, and has gone through endless line combinations in an attempt to turn the tide of sadness, but such is life as a professional sports franchise in Buffalo.

As it stands, the Sabres have managed to lose 10 games in a row, giving them just one more point than the Habs, who have a game in hand on their American divisional counterpart.

Tage Thompson, who was snubbed from Team USA alongside Cole Caufield, leads the Sabres with six goals and nine assists in 26 games. He’s tied with Alex Tuch, who has nine goals and 16 assists to his credit.

Buffalo is expected to hand Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen the start, rather than Montreal native Devon Levi.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Buffalo Sabres Projected Lineup

Benson – Thompson – Tuch

Peterka – Cozens – Quinn

Greenway – Kulich – Zucker

Malenstyn – McLeod – Krebs

Power – Samuelsson

Jokiharju – Byram

Gilbert – Bryson

Lukkonen

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Buffalo Sabres December 17, 2024.

Game 31 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.