Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Preview & Lines: Ivan Demidov Debut, Laine Demoted
The Montreal Canadiens (39-31-10) are set to play the Chicago Blackhawks (23-46-11), with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
There are two very important things to note about Monday’s game.
The first is that the Canadiens can clinch a playoff berth by beating the Blackhawks in regulation or overtime. If they lose, their odds drop to about 85 percent, however, it would be advantageous to clinch as soon as possible, rather than stressing out about the final game of the season.
The second is the NHL debut for top prospect Ivan Demidov, one of the most talented prospects to every join the organization.
Demidov is expected to play on a line with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia, which is far from an ideal setup when it comes to placing him in a position conducive to producing, but we also have to realize this is just the start of his NHL career. After all, Nick Suzuki started his career on the fourth line.
Ivan Demidov on line with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia at #Habs morning skate at Bell Centre ahead of tonight’s game vs. Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/KSyGqnAjne
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) April 14, 2025
We should also temper our expectations to a certain extent. There’s no doubt Demidov possesses an elite skill set, but he’s also the new guy on the block. He hasn’t had much time to practice with his new team, he’s a young man in a new country, and he’ll be facing players with NHL experience, which means his quality of competition is set to go up.
To make room for Demidov on the Newhook trio, head coach Martin St-Louis demoted Patrik Laine to the fourth line.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki | Juraj Slafkovsky |
| Alex Newhook | Oliver Kapanen | Ivan Demidov |
| Zachary Bolduc | Owen Beck | Owen Beck |
| Josh Anderson | Jake Evans | Brendan Gallagher |
| Mike Matheson | Noah Dobson |
| Jayden Struble | Lane Hutson |
| Arber Xhekaj | Alex Carrier |
| Samuel Montembeault |
| Jakub Dobes |
Chicago Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Donato – Bedard – Mikheyev
Teravainen – Nazar – Bertuzzi
Foligno – Greene – Moore
Slaggert – Veleno – Reichel
Vlasic – Rinzel
Murphy – Crevier
Kaiser – Levshunov
Knight
How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Chicago Blackhawks, April 14, 2025
Game 81 of the regular season will be aired on Amazon Prime and RDS. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.
Montreal Canadiens playoff odds via Money Puck.
