Canadiens Pre Game
Canadiens Preview and Lines: Dobes Expected To Start Vs. Kings

The Montreal Canadiens (25-23-5) are set to face the Los Angeles Kings (27-17-6) on Wednesday, with the puck drop scheduled for 10:30 pm ET.
The Canadiens are fresh off an ugly, but important win the previous night, which saw them beat the lowly San Jose Sharks thanks to goals from Cole Caufield, Alex Newhook, Brendan Gallagher, and Joel Armia.
Armia’s shorthanded marker was his second in as many games, standing as the game-winning goal on Tuesday. We also have to give credit to Jake Evans, the man who set up both shorthanded goals. As per tradition, the Habs allowed the first goal of the game, something they can ill afford against the high-flying Kings.
A little more energy is in order, and for that they can turn to hungry rookie Owen Beck. The well-rounded forward celebrated his birthday on Monday by scoring a hat trick at the AHL All-Star Game, and then made his way to the Canadiens locker room for the match-up versus the Sharks.
He didn’t score, but you can always depend on an honest effort from No.62.
Owen Beck was told by a lot of teams at the NHL draft that they thought he should be more physical.
He listened.
Here he is on the forecheck, creating a scoring chance with two heavy hits. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/74julZ3aPb
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) February 5, 2025
The team did not practice ahead of Wednesday’s match-up, which means we should probably expect very few changes in the lineup. The only projected lineup modification will likely feature rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes rather than veteran Samuel Montembeault between the pipes.
ON TOPIC: Habs Highlights: Newhook, Armia Lead Charge In Important Win
Even though the Kings have only won three of their last 10 games, the Canadiens are in for a difficult night, as they’re facing a team that aspires to establish a healthy run in the playoffs.
Much like the Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, the Kings do not score very often, but unlike their Californian counterparts, they’re elite in the defensive zone, as evidenced by the fact that the Kings have allowed fewer goals against than every other team in the NHL.
Adrian Kempe leads the offensive charge for Los Angeles, with help from long-term Kings centre Anze Kopitar. They’ve both reached the 40-point mark, however, they’re the only players in the lineup to achieve such a feat. The third-highest scoring forward on the team, Warren Foegele, is sitting at just 24 points in 50 games, the same offensive output they’ve received from defenceman Brandt Clarke.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Juraj Slafkovsky |
Alex Newhook | Kirby Dach | Josh Anderson |
Owen Beck | Christian Dvorak | Brendan Gallagher |
Patrik Laine | Jake Evans | Joel Armia |
Mike Matheson | Alexandre Carrier |
Lane Hutson | Logan Mailloux |
Arber Xhekaj | David Savard |
Jakub Dobes |
Samuel Montembeault |
Los Angeles Kings Projected Lineup
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Jeannot – Lewis – Thomas
Gavrikov – Doughty
Edmundson -Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Kuemper
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. Los Angeles Kings, Wednesday, February 5, 2025.
Game 54 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.