Canadiens Pre Game
Canadiens Preview and Lines: Carrier Set To Make Habs Debut
The Montreal Canadiens (12-16-3) will face the Detroit Red Wings (13-14-4) at the Little Caesars Arena on Friday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
The Canadiens are coming off a morale-boost 6-1 drubbing of the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, which featured the 11th hat trick of Patrik Laine’s career. Not only has Laine cemented himself as a fan favourite due to his honest and open approach, he’s making a significant impact on the powerplay, as the Habs are now generating enough chances on the man-advantage to suggest the recent results aren’t entirely unsustainable.
Of course, Laine won’t score three powerplay goals every game, but the early results have been quite encouraging, to say the least.
All three of Patrik Laine’s goals tonight, via TSN.
It was the 11th hat trick of his career. You can’t help but feel great for this guy. He worked hard to get back to the sport he loves, and he’s being rewarded for it.
Just a fantastic story. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/GcoZ7E7dxZ
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 18, 2024
Friday’s game will also mark Alexandre Carrier’s debut in a Canadiens uniform. The 28-year-old defensive specialist was acquired from the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, in exchange for 23-year-old Justin Barron. While there’s no doubt Carrier has the potential to shore up Montreal’s longstanding defensive woes, the Habs will miss Barron’s solid offensive impact, which means a few forwards will have to pick up the slack when it comes to generating shots.
ON TOPIC: Rebuild Lessons On Tap As Struggling Sabres Visit The Canadiens
If you are interested in the view from the other side of the rink, we recommend you visit our sister site, Detroit Hockey Now.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
| Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Juraj Slafkovsky |
| Joshua Roy | Alex Newhook | Patrik Laine |
| Brendan Gallagher | Christian Dvorak | Josh Anderson |
| Emil Heineman | Jake Evans | Joel Armia |
| Mike Matheson | Alexandre Carrier |
| Jayden Struble | Lane Hutson |
| Arber Xhekaj | David Savard |
| Samuel Montembeault |
| Jakub Dobes |
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lineup
Tarasenko – Larkin – Raymond
Debrincat – Copp – Kane
Rasmussen – Compher – Motte
Veleno – Kasper – Fischer
Edvinsson – Seider
Chiarot – Petry
Gustafsson – Holl
Lyon
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Detroit Red Wings, December 20, 2024.
Game 32 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.
