Canadiens Preview And Lines: Montembeault Starts Key Game

The Montreal Canadiens are set to play the New York Islanders in a crucial matchup that will have a significant impact on both team’s playoff chances.

As it stands, Montreal is in a much more comfortable situation. Their playoff odds are somewhere between 40 and 45 percent, and while that may not seem very encouraging, every team chasing the Canadiens have worse odds.

In other words, the playoffs haven’t just become a legitimate possibility. The Canadiens have the inside track on all the teams fighting for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

ON TOPIC: Updated Montreal Canadiens Playoff Odds: The Final Stretch

There’s more to hockey than just numbers, which is why the team’s current form will be a factor in their playoff chase. The Habs put together a complete team effort on Tuesday, dispatching the Ottawa Senators with a 6-3, and that’s exactly what they’ll need going forward if they’re to extend their season into springtime hockey.

Unlike many of the games this year, it wasn’t necessarily the first line that drove the offence on Tuesday, yet another encouraging sign for a team that tends to rely heavily on Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield.

Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, and Brendan Gallagher, in particular, played an important role in the win, using a heavy forecheck to create chaos in the offensive zone, which led to a bevy of high-danger chances, not to mention a handful of goals. Two of those goals were scored on an empty net, and while some may dismiss empty-net goals as useless data, there’s something to be said about which players the coach trusts to close out tight games.

A good stick by Gallagher started this play.

Josh Anderson ends up scoring to tie the game for the #GoHabsGo. pic.twitter.com/XPYCbXXKqs

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 19, 2025

This will be the third and final meeting between the two teams this year. The Islanders beat the Canadiens 4-3 in October, while the Habs won the revenge matchup by a score of 2-1. With that in mind, don’t be surprised if the Thursday’s matchup ends up being yet another one-goal game.

There are no lineup changes expected, with means netminder Samuel Montembeault will once again be given the start. Much like the team’s top line, Montembeault has been a dominant presence since the 4 Nations Faceoff, as evidenced by his fantastic .920 save percentage.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

New York Islanders Projected Lineup

Holmstrom – Horvat – Palmieri

Lee – Pageau – Duclair

Engvall – Cizikas – Fasching

Tsyplakov – MacLean – Gatcomb

Pelech – DeAngelo

Dobson – Pulock

Reilly – Mayfield

Sorokin

How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the New York Islanders, Thursday, March 20, 2025

Game 67 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.