Canadiens Pre Game
Canadiens Preview: Multiple Injuries, Beck Call-up
The Montreal Canadiens (4-1-0) are set to host the New York Rangers (2-3-1), with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Things are going quite well for the Canadiens from a results standpoint, as their 3-2 overtime win on Thursday propelled them toward the top of the Atlantic Division standings, and they have done so while improving a few notable areas that were once considered an area of weakness.
ON TOPIC: Top 5 Early Season Statistics Driving Montreal’s Success
Unfortunately, the injury bug has reared its ugly head, as the Habs announced Kaiden Guhle (lower-body injury, 4-6 weeks), Kirby Dach (lower-body injury, day-to-day), and Patrik Laine (lower-body injury, day-to-day) will be unable to face the Rangers.
Consequently, Owen Beck was recalled from the Laval Rocket, while newcomer Joe Veleno is expected to make his Canadiens debut.
Guhle was in pain on Thursday, following a play that forced him to retreat to the locker room, however, he did manage to return to the bench in the third period. It seemed that he had avoided the worst, but the Canadiens will have to call on their defensive depth to plug the hole on the blue line for the next month, or more.
Kaiden Guhle having a hard time getting off the ice: pic.twitter.com/oNDTQ8C1Cb
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 17, 2025
Beck is set to play alongside Joe Veleno and Zachary Bolduc, while defenceman Arber Xhekaj will return to the lineup after watching the last game from the press box as a healthy scratch. Seeing as Jayden Struble found success alongside Lane Hutson last season, they will assume the second-pairing duties in Guhle’s absence.
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 |
Projected New York Rangers Lineup
Panarin Zibanejad – Cuylle
Sheary – Miller – Lafreniere
Parssinen – Laba – Raddysh
Edstrom – Carrick – Rempe
Gavrikov – Fox
Schneider – Vaakanainen
Robertson – Borgen
Shesterkin
How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the New York Rangers, Saturday, October 18, 2025
The Canadiens game versus the Rangers will be aired on City TV, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.
One of the things I’m looking forward to is the “game within the game” head-to-head matchup of Hutson vs Fox. Imo, only one will make the U.S. Olympic team and I’m betting Hutson is going to do everything he can to stand out above Fox in this game. Fox has the inside track on getting the spot with the team, but I bet Hutson will want to make a statement tonight that the debate needs to continue.
Rempe v Sheriff is a game within the game worth watching. Demidov v Panarin is similar to Fox/ Hutson although no Olympic berth at stake. I think Ivan has games vs Kuch and Kaprizov circled as well as this one to see how he measures up. I expect he will be good tonight.