Canadiens Pre Game
Canadiens Preview And Lines: St-Louis Sticks With Montembeault
The Montreal Canadiens (24-19-4) are set to face the Detroit Red Wings (21-21-5) on Thursday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
While the Red Wings were expected to take a big step forward this season, the Habs were more of a mixed bag. With young players in place, individual growth usually leads to improvements from a team-wide standpoint, but every lineup can use a little help.
That’s why Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes decided to pull the trigger on what has become one of the best trades of his tenure, sending defenceman Justin Barron to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Alexandre Carrier.
Carrier has provided the exact stabilizing presence the team desperately needed, and while he and Kaiden Guhle have looked great as the second pairing, the first pairing has actually produced the best underlying numbers since Carrier’s arrival.
Both Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson have found a new gear in recent games, with Hutson quickly becoming one of the most dominant defencemen in the entire NHL from an offensive standpoint. As for Matheson, his ability to play on the right side of the ice has surely made life easier on both Hutson and head coach Martin St-Louis.
ON TOPIC: How The Alex Carrier Trade Improved Lane Hutson Stats On Top Pairing
The Canadiens will turn to their veteran on Thursday, giving Samuel Montembeault yet another opportunity to cement his place as the team’s starter. Montembeault stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced on Tuesday night, playing the hero as the Canadiens completed yet another come-from-behind win.
You won’t see Owen Beck against the Red Wings, as the 20-year-old forward was return to the Laval Rocket (AHL). Beck received minimal ice time during his two games with the Habs, but his underlying numbers suggest a long-term audition is in order. With Beck back in the AHL, Michael Pezzetta is expected to return to the lineup.
If you’re looking for the view from the other side of the rink, make sure to visit our sister site, Detroit Hockey Now.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
| Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Juraj Slafkovsky |
| Alex Newhook | Kirby Dach | Patrik Laine |
| Josh Anderson | Christian Dvorak | Brendan Gallagher |
| Michael Pezzetta | Jake Evans | Joel Armia |
| Lane Hutson | Mike Matheson |
| Kaiden Guhle | Alex Carrier |
| Arber Xhekaj | David Savard |
| Samuel Montembeault |
| Jakub Dobes |
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lineup
Larkin – Kasper – Raymond
DeBrincat – Copp – Kane
Tarasenko – Compher – Berggren
Soberblom – Rasmussen – Fischier
Chiarot – Seider
Edvinsson – Johansson
Gustafsson – Holl
Lyon
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, January 23, 2025.
Game 48 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.
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MTL, is beating the very good teams that they face, so, if they make the play offs, they could possibly do quite well … they really are the comeback kings rite now..
Two teams that are quite equal, on paper. Mtl is playing better as a team. And, of course, they are better than Detroit in goal. So indicators point to a Habs victory tonight, but since Habs most recent losses have been to lower ranked teams, we need to be a bit cautious. Go Habs.
By my count, Hughes has made 18-20 consequential trades as GM. I’d rank Carrier trade around
6th at this point
Beck was getting significantly more ice than Pezzetta 2-3x as much, so I’m not sure why they sent him back. He was even in plus minus and wasn’t a liability in any way. Hoping he and Roy get a full opportunity after the trade deadline so we can determine if and where they fit in the big picture. Nice to have organizational depth.