Canadiens Pre Game
Canadiens Preview & Lines: Dach Injured, Montembeault Starts
The Montreal Canadiens (27-26-5) are set to host the San Jose Sharks (15-36-8), with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Things have gone quite well for the Canadiens since games resumed following the conclusion of the 4 Nations Faceoff. Not only did they have a dominant game versus the Ottawa Senators, they followed it up with a 4-0 shutout win against the high-flying Carolina Hurricanes.
Juraj Slafkovsky has put together two strong games, a very encouraging sign, however, the name of the game at this point is consistency. The youngest player in the lineup will have to maintain his aggressive style of play if he’s to one day develop into a legitimate first-line player.
Goaltender Samuel Montembeault, fresh off a 20-save shutout effort, will be given the start, looking to earn his third win in a row. Forward Josh Anderson has clearly been dealing with nagging issues, as evidenced by his absence at practice, but head coach Martin St-Louis confirmed the speedy winger will suit up against San Jose.
Forward Kirby Dach will once again be unavailable, which means Owen Beck draws into the lineup. The Habs will provide an update on Dach’s injury in roughly 24 hours, suggesting that it may be a little more serious than previously expected.
As for the defencemen, they’re in for a slightly less busy night than usual, seeing as San Jose struggles to defend and score. As it stands, the Sharks have allowed 221 goals against, the worst result in the NHL. They’ve managed to score 151 goals, which is 29th in the NHL.
That being said, taking any opponent lightly is a recipe for disaster in the NHL. The good news is that life without defenceman Kaiden Guhle hasn’t completely tanked the Canadiens’ season. In fact, believe it or not, the team has played significantly better since the injury. Most defencemen are producing better stats, but it should be noted that Alexandre Carrier, the player who ended up with an uptick in ice time due to Guhle’s injury, has struggled with the difficult usage.
ON TOPIC: Habs Analysis: Kaiden Guhle Injury Leads To Surprising Results
Former Hab Tyler Toffoli leads the Sharks in goal scoring, with 21 in 58 games, while centre Mikael Granlund leads the offensive charge, producing 45 points before a trade that saw him join the Dallas Stars. Yes, you’re reading that right, the top producing Shark was traded on February 1.
As for Macklin Celebrini, he’s enjoying a very solid season as a rookie, to the tune of 18 goals and 24 assists. It’s a rather impressive output, seeing as he only trails Canadiens rookie defenceman Lane Hutson by one point.
Long lunch crew 💙 pic.twitter.com/tlAx5QegJr
— Cat (Belanger) Toffoli (@catbtoffoli) February 26, 2025
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 |
San Jose Sharks Lineup
Eklund – Celebrini – Tyffoli
Zetterlund – Wennberg – Smith
Graf – Sturm – Kunin
Grundstrom – Dellandrea – Goodrow
Walman – Thrun
Ferraro – Thompson
Vlasic – Mukhamadullin
Georgiev
How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the San Jose Sharks, Thursday, February 27, 2025.
Game 59 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.
“More serious that previously thought”…this injury to Dach is VERY concerning. If its in any way related to that surgically repaired knee, he may be done going forward. Or at least will never get to that “potential” we all dreamed of, so to speak.
This season has been a mess for him.
This is not good…
Since he had a devastating knee injury he should have started the season on the wing with Newhook at centre, can’t they do anything right?
There’s a reason why Dach was available. We can’t hold it against Dach, since most of the injuries were random, but this was certainly a risk when the Canadiens traded for him.
Is that a Freudian typo re: Dach’s injury? “The Habs will provide an upset on Dach’s injury in roughly 24 hours…” I guess we should prepare ourselves. 🫤
I promise it was simply evidence of a deteriorating mind.
🤪
Guhle’s last 19 games prior to his unfortunate injury the Canadiens record was 13-5-1 and including the night of his injury (which includes the last 2 wins post 4 Nations) their record since is 3-6-0.
That doesn’t look like a better record to me!
There’s a whole article linked up there that will explain how much better the Habs have played without Guhle. They’re controlling the puck more, they’re shooting more, they’re creating a ton more high-danger chances.
Those are all predictive metrics, whereas a record is not.