The Need To Know For Tonight’s Habs vs. Sens Game

Ahead of tonight’s game, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Jakub Dobes is expected to play the full game in Quebec City. Among all goaltenders that have played in the preseason for the Habs, he’s the only one to have not yet allowed a goal. Dobes will likely serve as the backup for Samuel Montembeault this season, and a good preseason could allow him to get more starts this year. This could be something that helps take a lot of the pressure off Montembeault this season if Dobes continues to play as well as he has since he got called up.

The only forward line that won’t be playing for the Habs tonight is the one trio that won’t be changed in Juraj Slafkovsky-Nick Suzuki-Cole Caufield. The experiments of tonight’s lines should be interesting to watch. 

In terms of lines that were used on Monday’s practice, the only line that practiced as a unit that will play on Tuesday night is the one centred by Alex Newhook with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov on his wings. This line on paper doesn’t seem to have the offensive prowess that would be needed alongside Demidov. Newhook’s speed is great for carrying the puck up ice but he doesn’t have the best finishing ability. Demidov needs a guy who can finish on his chances. He and Newhook may connect well, like they did last year during his first NHL game, but it doesn’t seem like Newhook has the offensive ability to be the scorer on a line long term. 

It may not seem like it could work out, but maybe the two will connect well. However, Kapanen has yet to really show any offensive ability at the NHL level, which makes it seem like he can’t be a fit with Demidov in hindsight, but tonight’s game is a good one to see if this line could have chemistry.

The next line that will be put together is Zachary Bolduc-Kirby Dach-Brendan Gallagher, which could actually work as Dach will be playing with two warriors by his side. This trio could allow Dach to slowly get back into form by playing with Gallagher, who will be a net front nuisance, while Bolduc can be a force in the corners and on the forecheck. Not to mention, Bolduc’s good wrist shot alongside Gallagher’s tireless effort in front of the net could create a good amount of offense. It should be a fun line to watch and see if they can have chemistry together. 

Patrik Laine will be playing on a line with Owen Beck and Joe Veleno. This is a trio that seems a little odd on paper, but considering the way Laine has been playing at 5-on-5 throughout the preseason, the move to get him going may be to play on a line with two guys who have something to prove still to get their spot on the team. These guys likely will not be a line at any point, but it will be used to see if they can get Laine to start putting in the work at even strength after struggling so far this preseason. 

The most interesting line may just be the 4th line with Florian Xhekaj and Josh Anderson centred by Jake Evans. This line has the potential to be a great shutdown line while bringing a lot of sandpaper for tonight’s game in Quebec. It will be fun to watch Anderson and Xhekaj show glimpses of what the future holds for the Habs 

On defense, with both Noah Dobson and Kaiden Guhle out for tonight, Mike Matheson will be playing with Adam Engstrom to see how Engstrom can deal with playing big minutes against NHL competition. Meanwhile, Arber Xhekaj will get to play with Lane Hutson, and Jayden Struble will be paired with Alex Carrier. The last two pairings will likely be used to see if these can work or if Xhekaj is meant to play with Carrier, and if Struble is just best suited to be Hutson’s partner. 

What do you think of the line and defensive pairings for tonight’s games?