Canadiens Preview & Lines: Montembeault Starts Crucial Game

The Montreal Canadiens (32-27-7) are set to host the Ottawa Senators (36-25-5) with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

There are only 16 games left on the docket for the Habs, but few will be as important as Tuesday’s game versus the Senators.

This will be the third time these two teams will meet this season, with both clubs earning a win in the previous contests. Ottawa took home a 4-1 win on October 12, whereas the Habs crushed the Senators 5-2 when they faced each in late February.

As it stands, the Canadiens are just one point behind the New York Rangers, the team that currently occupies the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. To make matters more interesting for Habs fans, the team also has two games in hand.

Ottawa is five points up on New York, which means they’re closing in on a guaranteed presence in the playoffs, however, they always play very hard versus the Canadiens, making Tuesday’s matchup a healthy warm-up should the team qualify for springtime hockey.

There was some encouraging news at practice, with injured defenceman Kaiden Guhle skating in a no-contact jersey. He’s not ready to  return to play, at least not yet, but there’s a chance he could be ready for the final few games of the season.

Samuel Montembeault has been on fire since returning from the 4 Nations Faceoff, and will be counted upon as the team faces Ottawa. No other roster changes are expected.

Lane Hutson and Brady Tkachuk have each secured six points in their last four games, making them players to watch for both coaches. Ullmark hasn’t been as dominant as Montembeault in the last stretch, however, he’s still sporting a .912 save percentage, which is excellent when we consider scoring has gone up significantly in the last few seasons.

The Canadiens are 7-2-1 in their last ten games, whereas the Senators are 7-1-2, making this fairly even match-up with two teams desperate to make it to the playoffs.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Ottawa Senators Projected Lineup

Tkachuk – Stutzle – Giroux

Perron – Cozens – Batherson

Greig – Pinto – Amadio

Highmore – Gaudette – Zetterlund

Sanderson – Zub

Chabot – Hamonic

Kleven – Matinpalo

Ullmark

How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Ottawa Senators, Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

Game 66 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.