Canadiens Pre Game
Canadiens Preview And Lines: Momentum On Montreal’s Side
The Montreal Canadiens (16-17-3) are set to face the Vegas Golden Knights (25-8-3), with the puck drop scheduled for 3 pm ET.
The Habs are coming off yet another morale-boosting win, a dominant 5-2 victory versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. It completed a Florida state sweep, as they had shutout the Panthers the previous night.
Jake Evans continues to score at will, which has sparked a debate about his impending free agency status. There are legitimate arguments to be made for keeping the 28-year-old centre, however, you’d be hard-pressed to suggest there are no advantages to trading him at the deadline. After all, Evans is scoring on every third shot this season, but he usually needs 10 or more shots to find the back of the net.
Evans’ recent surge is a big reason why the Habs are in the midst of one of their best stretches since starting the rebuild, but he’s far from the only player that has made a positive impact in December.
ON TOPIC: Canadiens Analysis – The Jake Evans Trade Debate
Defenceman Alexandre Carrier has provided the ideal stabilizing presence on the blue line. Consequently, the rest of the pairings have improved, while Carrier’s defensive partner, Kaiden Guhle, is thriving now that he’s been returned to his natural side.
There are no lineup changes expected on Tuesday, which means Samuel Montembeault is set to close out the year with another start, a fitting end to a very busy stretch.
If the Habs are to cap off a very solid month with a win, they’ll need to capitalize on the momentum they built in Florida, as beating the Golden Knights hasn’t been a common occurrence in 2024-25.
Vegas only has one loss in their last 10 games, and that took place versus Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. They’re poised to make another run at the Stanley Cup, except they won’t have to go through Montreal to secure the Western Conference championship this time around, which should make things a little easier.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
| Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Juraj Slafkovsky |
| Ivan Demidov | Jake Evans | Alex Newhook |
| Josh Anderson | Christian Dvorak | Brendan Gallagher |
| Emil Heineman | Oliver Kapanen | Joel Armia |
| Mike Matheson | Alexandre Carrier** |
| Kiaden Guhle | Lane Hutson |
| Arber Xhekaj | David Savard |
| Jakub Dobes |
| Cayden Primeau |
Vegas Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Olofsson – Eicher – Stone
Hertl – Karlsson – Kolesar
Pearson – Howden – Dorofeyev
Rondbjerg – Schwindt – Holtz
Hanifin – Pietrangelo
McNabb – Theodore
Hague – Whitecloud
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Vegas Golden Knights, December 31, 2024.
Game 36 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.
