Canadiens lineup tonight: Montreal's projected lineup for game against Buffalo Sabres

The Montreal Canadiens return to action for the back half of a home-and-home set with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at Bell Centre.

Montreal (29-26-5) took down Buffalo (24-29-5) 4-2 on Saturday in a back-and-forth battle at KeyBank Center.

The Canadiens have won four consecutive games as they continue to push for the playoffs. They're seventh in the Atlantic division with 63 points, three points behind Detroit for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo is last in the Atlantic with 53 points and has almost no chance of making the postseason.

Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle remain two key injury absences for the Habs. Dach (knee) is out for the season, while Guhle (quadriceps) is out indefinitely. Michael Pezzetta (lower body) is also day-to-day but he's not a regular in the lineup.

Montreal Canadiens projected lines

Forwards:

Line 1. LW Cole Caufield - C Nick Suzuki - RW Juraj Slafkovsky

Line 2. LW Alex Newhook - C Owen Beck - RW Patrik Laine

Line 3. LW Josh Anderson - C Christian Dvorak - RW Brendan Gallagher

Line 4. LW Emil Heineman - C Jake Evans - RW Joel Armia

Defense:

Pair 1. LD Lane Hutson - RD Jayden Struble

Pair 2. LD Mike Matheson - RD Alexandre Carrier

Pair 1. LD Arber Xhekaj - RD David Savard

Goalies:

Starter - Samuel Montembeault

Backup - Jakub Dobes

Power Play:

First Unit - Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Lane Hutson

Second Unit - Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, Joel Armia, Emil Heineman, Mike Matheson

Penalty Kill:

First Unit - Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Mike Matheson, David Savard

Second Unit - Christian Dvorak, Josh Anderson, Arber Xhekaj, Alexandre Carrier

Odds for Canadiens vs. Sabres and Montreal's upcoming schedule

Montreal is a slight home favorite to take down Buffalo on Monday at Bell Centre.

On Odds Sharks, the Habs are -115 home favorites, while the Sabres are -105 road underdogs. Should these betting lines remain until puck-drop, a $115 bet on the Canadiens would win $100, while a $105 bet on the Sabres would net $100.

Following Monday's game, the Canadiens will go on the annual Western Canadian road trip. They'll start in Edmonton against the Oilers on Thursday and will finish the week in Calgary to face the Flames on Saturday.

About the author

Jackson Weber is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bcomm degree in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph.

Jackson has grown up as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are his all-time favorite players. Watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times is an experience that Jackson will never forget. Years later, you realize how rare it is to see your favorite team win even once, so three championships were just incredible.

When not watching, playing, or writing about sports, Jackson loves to cook and is passionate about health and nutrition.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez

Canadiens lineup tonight: Montreal's projected lineup for game against Buffalo Sabres | March 3, 2025