Canadiens Preview And Lines: Laine Claus, Montembeault, Xhekaj

The Montreal Canadiens (14-16-3) are set to face the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-15-6) in the team’s final game before the Christmas break, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Rebuilds guarantee a certain amount of variance in results, and while the team has certainly faced its fair share of losing streaks, they’re currently firing on all cylinders, as evidenced by their current three-game winning streak, the first of the year.

Back-to-back wins versus the Detroit Red Wings on Friday and Saturday provided the perfect morale boost for most players in the lineup, and that obviously includes Patrik Laine, who has scored over 9000 powerplay goals since returning from injury.

Okay, it wasn’t really over 9000, it just feels that way.

To be more accurate, Laine is currently on pace for a 50+ goal season, thanks to his eight goals in nine games with the Canadiens. His 5v5 play isn’t quite up to snuff, but there’s no denying he’s funnelling momentum into Montreal’s corner by scoring during every other man advantage.

The other newcomer, Alexandre Carrier, is off to a very solid start, producing fantastic underlying numbers. What’s more, I’d argue head coach Martin St-Louis has not had access to a stabilizing presence on the blue line since he took over as head coach three years ago.

Goaltender Samuel Montembeault will make the start for the Habs, as per tradition, while Arber Xhekaj skipped practice in favour of a therapy day, which means he’ll be a game-time decision.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Highlights: Patrik Laine Delivers Again, Evans Shines

This will be the third and final time the Canadiens will face the Blue Jackets in 2024-25. The first game resulted in a 5-1 win, whereas the second matchup needed overtime, resulting in a 4-3 win for the Habs.

There are two familiar faces in the Blue Jackets lineup, Sean Monahan and Jordan Harris. While Monahan is on pace for a career year, the same cannot be said for Harris, as he is yet to secure a full-time role in Ohio. The good news for Harris is that he no longer seems to be the default player delegated as a healthy scratch, and with a little consistency in his usage, his play is sure to improve.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lineup

Voronkov – Monahan – Marchenko

Van Riemsdyk – Fantilli – Aston-Reese

Olivier – Sillinger – Johnson

Malatesta – Kuraly – Pyyhtia

Werenski – Severson

Christiansen – Provorov

Johnson – Harris

Merzlikins

How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Columbus Blue Jackets, December 23, 2024.

Game 34 of the regular season will be aired on RDS and TSN2. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.