Canadiens Game Lineups: Blueline Injuries Lead To Emergency Recall

The Montreal Canadiens (29-34-12) will host the Toronto Maple Leafs (43-23-9) at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

With only seven games remaining in the regular season, the Canadiens don’t have much to compete for in the standings. Of course, some will argue that the team may end up accumulating enough points to reduce their chances of winning the Draft Lottery.

Even if the Canadiens have little chance of making the 2024 NHL playoffs, there is always pride on the line when they face the Leafs. This season, the Habs lost both games versus Toronto, one in a shootout and the other by a single goal.

If the Canadiens are to prevent the Leafs from sweeping the season series, they must play the type of game that keeps a club with a variety of formidable offensive weapons at bay. This requires every player to put out their full effort during each shift.

Of course, the top line of Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield is anticipated to lead the way, but Martin St. Louis’ club will also require secondary and tertiary scoring, which has been unusual this season. Players like Joel Armia, Alex Newhook, and Brendan Gallagher will need to play mistake-free hockey, while veterans like Josh Anderson and Jake Evans will need to step up their game.

Tonight’s lineup is set to vary slightly because Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj are both out with upper-body injuries. Both athletes are considered on a daily basis.

As a result, the Habs decided to recall Justin Barron from the AHL on an emergency basis. Barron scored his second goal of the season in the AHL Thursday night, as the Laval Rocket fell 3-1 to the Syracuse Crunch.

In other lineup news, Johnathan Kovacevic will return, while Jesse Ylonen will go to the pressbox to make room for Tanner Pearson.

The Leafs have been on a dismal run of late, as indicated by their 5-4-1 record over the last ten games. Despite their fluctuating record, Toronto qualified for the playoffs on Friday, sitting comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division.

The Habs will need to keep an eye on Auston Matthews, who is having the best season of his career, with 63 goals and 36 assists in 74 games. Another way to look at it is that Matthews has more goals and points than any other Canadiens player save Nick Suzuki.

Aside from Matthews, the Canadiens will face the typical cast of excellent players, including Mitch Marner, who is returning after missing several games due to a lower-body ailment.

Matthew Knies is no longer playing on the top line due to his lackluster performance this season, but he has four assists in the previous five games, indicating that he is a guy the Canadiens cannot overlook.

Former Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson is hurt and is unlikely to play in Saturday’s game.

Montreal Canadiens’ Injuries

Carey Price(IR)
Chris Wideman (IR)
Kirby Dach (out indefinitely with ACL/MCL)
Christian Dvorak (day to day)
Joshua Roy (4–6 weeks)
Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries

Joel Edmundson (out)
Timothy Liljegren (out)
Matthew Murray (IR)
Calle Jarnkrok(IR)
Ty Voit (Out)
Jake Muzzin(IR)
John Klingberg (IR)Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lineup

Bertuzzi – Matthews – Domi

McMann – Tavares – Marner*

Knies – Holmberg – Nylander

Dewar – Kampf – Reaves

Defence

Rielly – Lyubushkin

Benoit – McCabe

Giordano – Brodie

Goalie

Samsonov

How to Watch

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