Goaltender Jake Allen will be in goal as the Montreal Canadiens face a tough test against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, FL.
GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens (15-14-5) vs Florida Panthers (21-12-2)
GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers.Game Preview
Roster News
Juraj Slafkovsky is not feeling any ill-effects from the hit he took at the end of Thursday night's game.
Christian Dvorak did not practice on Friday taking a therapy day.
Jake Allen (4-6-2 / 3.43 GAA / .904 SV%) is the confirmed starter for Montreal.
Last Game
The Canadiens first line was dominated by the Hurricanes.
Last game: MTL 3 vs CAR 5 | F
Players to Watch
- Jake Allen - Allen will start for the first time in four games. Allen won his last start against the Winnipeg Jets on December 18th.
- Jordan Harris - Harris formed an effective pairing with Jayden Struble against the Hurricanes. Johnathan Kovacevic will once again be relegated to the press box.
Matchup for Game 35, Away Game 17
Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL. | December 30, 7:00 PM ET | TV: SNE, CITY, TVAS, BSFL
Pre-Game
Josh Anderson on the hit to Juraj Slafkovsky
- "The [referees] don't have to make it a two minute or five minute (penalty) but at least they can look at it again in case he did get hit in the head."
Projected Canadiens Lineup (subject to change)
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
91 Sean Monahan - 71 Jake Evans - 17 Josh Anderson
40 Joel Armia - 28 Christian Dvorak - 11 Brendan Gallagher
55 Michael Pezzetta - 13 Mitchell Stephens - 56 Jesse Ylonen
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 58 David Savard
21 Kaiden Guhle - 52 Justin Barron
47 Jayden Struble - 54 Jordan Harris
Goaltenders
Starter: 34 Jake Allen (4-6-2 / 3.43 GAA / .904 SV%)
Alternate: 30 Cayden Primeau
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Gustav Lindstrom, Sam Montembeault, Johnathan Kovacevic
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Rafael Harvey-Pinard (lower body), Alex Newhook (lower body), Tanner Pearson (upper body)
Visiting Bench
In their only other meeting this season, the Panthers beat the Canadiens 5-1 on November 30th at the Bell Centre.
Aleksander Barkov has recorded 43 points in 32 career games against Montreal.
Anthony Stolarz (4-3-1 / 2.18 GAA / .915 SV%) is the confirmed starter for the Panthers.
Game Expectations
The Canadiens will continue their four game road trip in Florida. The Panthers are playing the second game of a back-to-back after beating the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
Gretzky Signature Series.