Canadiens Game 74: Montembeault Starts, Guhle Returns

The Montreal Canadiens (28-33-12) are set to host the Florida Panthers (47-22-5) at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

The Habs’ three-game winning streak came to an unceremonious end on Saturday as they dropped a 3-0 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Truth be told, the scoreline was a little flattering for the Hurricanes, as Montreal, a rebuilding team, held the fort for the majority of the game. They could not match the talent level involved in the Hurricanes’ roster, but they did put together the type of game that leads fans to believe the best is yet to come.

Kaiden Guhle will return to the lineup, having served his one-game suspension for slashing Philadephia Flyers forward Travis Konecny from the bench. It wasn’t a particularly violent play, but it was clearly against the rules, and Guhle knows better than to let his emotions boil over.

It should be noted that Johnathan Kovacevic did great filling in for Guhle. He finished with the highest shot control numbers of the entire lineup versus the Hurricanes (55 percent).

Samuel Montembeault will be given the start against the Panthers, while Kovacevic will make his way to the press box.

As for the Florida Panthers, they’re fresh off a matchup on Monday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs which ended 6-4 in favour of the Ontario-based team.

This will present the Canadiens with a great opportunity to beat a team that has beaten them in all three meetings this season. The last time the two teams played, the Habs pushed the Panthers to the shootout, a much better result than the first two games of the season series, which finished 5-1 and 4-1 in favour of the Panthers, respectively.

Sniper Sam Reinhart continues to enjoy a fantastic season. The 28-year-old forward reached the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career. Considering he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, the timing could not be better for Reinhart.

Beyond Reinhart, the Habs will have to watch the usual suspects up front, including Matthew Tkachuk, Sasha Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe.

We can expect yet another intense physical tilt, as the Panthers are rarely involved in a boring game. You could even say they’ve become the NHL’s villains, a role that suits them perfectly. They’re not just aggressive, though they do often cross the line between physical and legal plays. What makes the Panthers a legitimate Stanley Cup-contending team is their ability to add insult to injury with a bevy of skilled players in their lineup.

They’ll knock you down and quickly score, making them a perfectly frustrating opponent.

For the view from the other side of the rink, we encourage you to visit our sister site, Florida Hockey Now.

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• Carey Price (IR)
• Chris Wideman (IR)
• Kirby Dach (out indefinitely, ACL/MCL)
• Christian Dvorak (day-to-day)
• Joshua Roy (4-6 weeks)

Florida Panthers Injuries

• None

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Florida Panthers Projected Lineup

Verhaeghe – Barkov – Reinhart

Rodrigues – Bennett – Tkachuk

Luostarinen – Lundell – Tarasenko

Gadjovich – Stenlund – Lomberg

Defence

Forsling – Ekblad

Mikkola – Montour

Ekman- Larsson – Kulikov

Goalie

Stolarz

How to Watch

TV

TSN2, RDS