After resuming practice on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens are set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning this afternoon at Amalie Arena in their first post-Christmas game. While the Canadiens were warming up, Tampa was competing against the Florida Panthers in a high-intensity match full of penalties, ending 4-2 in favor of the Lightning under John Cooper’s coaching, though it was a tough battle.
The Canadiens shared an update on Jake Evans, who is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks due to a lower-body injury sustained from a knee-to-knee collision in the previous game. Although surgery was avoided, knee injuries remain complex and challenging to heal, with standard treatments often falling short—unfortunately, this seems to be the case here.
Alexandre Texier, who missed the last game after a hard hit, practiced in normal gear and is expected to play today. In Evans’ absence, the Canadiens experimented with these lines during practice:
– Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zach Bolduc
– Ivan Demidov – Oliver Kapanen – July Slavkovsky
– Texier – Philip Danault – Josh Anderson
– Owen Beck/Samuel Brace – Joe Veleno – Brandon Gallagher
Defensively, the pairings remained consistent with the pre-break lineup:
– Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
– Lane Hutson – Alexandre Carrier
– Arbor Zekai/Jaden Struble – Adam Engstrom
With Samuel Montembeault recalled, coach Martin St. Louis announced that Jacob Fowler would start against Tampa Bay. Fowler, fresh off a strong performance before the break, including a shutout against Pittsburgh, will continue riding his hot streak, though Montembeault is expected to see game time soon.
This marks the second year in a row the traditional holiday road trip has come with some uncertainty in goal. Last year Jakub Dobes made his debut after Kayden Primeau was sent to Laval Rocket, showing resilience. It remains to be seen if Fowler will find similar success.
Fowler has yet to face Tampa, whereas Montembeault holds a 3-3-1 record against them, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.99 and a save percentage (SV%) of .898. Dobes, by contrast, had a challenging record of 0-1-0 with an 8.80 GAA and a .727 SV% against Tampa Bay.
On the opposing side, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been dominant against the Canadiens, boasting a 16-3-2 record with a 2.08 GAA and a .931 SV%. Backup Jonas Johansson has a 3-2-0 record with a 3.81 GAA and .872 SV%, scoring in their only meeting this season.
The Canadiens will need to watch key Lightning players like Nikita Kucherov, who has 46 points in 39 games against Montreal, Brayden Point with 26 points in 30 games, and Jake Guentzel, who has 23 points in 19 games.
On the other hand, only three Canadiens players have reached double digits against Florida-based teams: Brandon Gallagher with 19 points in 38 games, Philip Danault with 14 points in 27 games, and Nick Suzuki with 13 points in 19 games.
Today’s matchup is the second of four meetings this season, with the next games scheduled for March 31 and April 9. Tampa Bay has won seven of the last ten clashes between the division rivals, though Montreal claimed a 5-2 victory at Amalie Arena on December 29, thanks to a goal from Montembeault.
The puck drops at 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on The Spot, TSN2, and RDS. Following this game, the Canadiens will fly to Fort Lauderdale for their December 30th faceoff against the Panthers.
Fan Take: This game is crucial for the Canadiens as they navigate key injuries and test their depth against a tough Tampa Bay team. Fans should watch closely, as how Montreal manages today could signal their resilience and playoff potential moving forward in the season.
