The Montreal Canadiens will welcome Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent and forward Adam Fantilli to the Bell Centre on Thursday night.
GAME DAY PREVIEW | Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue JacketsGame Preview
Roster News
The Canadiens continue their homestand tonight as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Winnipeg Jets will be at the Bell Centre on Saturday.
Kaiden Guhle joined his teammates for Thursday morning's pre-game skate at Brossard. Guhle, who is day-to-day with an upper body injury, was wearing a tinted visor.
It is expected that Joel Armia will be a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game since being recalled from Laval.
Last Game
Former Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli left the Bell Centre with a hattrick on Tuesday night while Jack Hughes had a four point game. Both Canadiens goals came from defensemen.
Last game: MTL 2 NJD 5
For a complete game recap: Has Primeau Earned Another Start for the Canadiens? | RECAP: NJD @ MTL
Players to Watch
- Tanner Pearson - Pearson has been a surprise tied with Cole Caufield for the lead in goals for the Canadiens with three.
- Josh Anderson - Anderson tallied 115 points in 267 games for the Blue Jackets from 2014-2020. He will be looking to make an impact against his former team and secure his place on the Canadiens top line.
- Sam Montembeault - Montembeault will be looking to get back on track after a shaky outing against the Minnesota Wild. In two games this season, he has a 3.55 goals against average and an .892 save percentage.
Matchup for Game 7, Home Game 5
Bell Center, Montreal, QC | October 26, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN
Pre-Game
Marty St. Louis
- "We take far too many penalties. We were very good at five against five, but the problem repeats itself. I think we spend on average nine minutes on the penalty kill per game. It's too much."
Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent
- "It’s a special game for me and my family. Now, after 30 years of coaching, this will be my first at the Bell Center as an NHL head coach."
Projected Canadiens Lineup (subject to change)
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield 14 Nick Suzuki 17 Josh Anderson
49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard 15 Alex Newhook 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
70 Tanner Pearson 91 Sean Monahan 11 Brendan Gallagher
55 Michael Pezzetta 71 Jake Evans 56 Jesse Ylonen
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson 52 Justin Barron
54 Jordan Harris 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
72 Arber Xhekaj 27 Gustav Lindstrom
Goaltenders
Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault
Alternate: 30 Cayden Primeau
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Joel Armia, Jake Allen
Injuries: Christian Dvorak (knee), Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Kaiden Guhle (upper body), David Savard (upper body)
Visiting Bench
It's a homecoming for Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent, who is a native of Laval. Vincent served as GM / head coach of the Montreal Juniors of the QMJHL from 2008-2011.
Forward Adam Fantilli has recorded goals in back-to-back games. The third overall pick in June's NHL Draft has three points on the season.
Columbus forward Dmitri Voronkov will make his NHL debut.
Game Expectations
Marty St. Louis is pleased with the team's five-on-five play. In his words, "it is the foundation of our game." But a lack of discipline, combined with ineffective special team's play has been a concern for the head coach this season.
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