Canadiens Preview And Lines: Samuel Montembeault Starts Again

The Montreal Canadiens (32-27-8) are set to host the Colorado Avalanche (42-25-3) at the Bell Centre, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Even though the Habs only managed to secure a single point against the New York Islanders on Thursday, they still maintained their tenuous grip on the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Canadiens probably deserved a better fate, as they controlled the shots and scoring chances versus the Islanders, but there’s no such thing as ‘deserve’ in sports. At the end of the day, the team that wins always deserves it, that’s why we play the games.

Thankfully for the Habs, veteran Brendan Gallagher stole the show late in the third period, scoring a fantastic goal via a great individual effort on the breakaway. It’s worth noting his mother, Della, had passed away earlier in the day, making it a cathartic moment for the 32-year-old forward.

Clutch goal by Brendan Gallagher!!! (with a little help from the Islanders).

Tie game. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/1JAajVBF6N

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 21, 2025

With all due respect to the Islanders, the Avalanche are a better team, which means Saturday’s matchup will take a complete team effort from the Habs. We’ve reached crunch time, and the Canadiens simply do not have any margin for error left when it comes to their playoff hopes.

The team should be able to count on another strong performance from their top line, especially since it’s quite clear that Nick Suzuki is among the best centres in the NHL. Some will twist themselves into a pretzel in an attempt to denigrate the Canadiens captain, but the numbers do not lie.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Mythbusting – Nick Suzuki’s Impact As A Centre

Defenceman Kaiden Guhle was spotted at practice on Saturday, wearing a no-contact jersey. He’s not ready to play in the very near future, but the mere fact that he’s skating should be considered a good sign. There are no lineup changes expected for the home team, which means the Habs will once again turn to veteran Samuel Montembeault, rather than giving rookie netminder Jakub Dobes another kick at the can.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Colorado Avalanche Projected Lineup

Drouin – MacKinnon – Nichushkin

Lehkonen – Nelson – Necas

Kiviranta – Coyle – Colton

Kelly – Drury – O’Connor

Toews – Makar

Lindgren – Malinski

Middleton – Johnson

Wedgewood

How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Colorado Avalanche, Saturday, March 22, 2025

Game 68 of the regular season will be aired on TVA Sports, and Sportsnet East. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.