Montreal Canadiens News

Kahkonen stopped 37 of 40 shots against (.925 SV%) in his previous start vs. Carolina but picked up his third-straight loss of the season and will take the crease again Thursday vs. Vancouver. The 27-year-old has been decent despite no offensive help with his 0-3-0 record, .907 SV%, and 3.16 GAA. He will try to get San Jose into the win column for the first time this season (0-8-1) as they take on Vancouver, who is third in the NHL in goals per game (4.0).

Matheson left the Canadiens' previous game vs. Winnipeg after 16:15 TOI due to a lower-body injury and was a game-time decision on Monday vs. Vegas after practicing earlier in the day. The 29-year-old veteran defenseman is having a strong start to 2023-24 as he has two goals, four assists, 22 SOG, six PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in eight games.

Matheson left the Canadiens' previous game vs. Winnipeg after 16:15 TOI due to a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision on Monday vs. Vegas after practicing earlier in the day. The 29-year-old veteran defenseman is having a strong start to 2023-24 as he has two goals, four assists, 22 SOG, six PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in eight games.

Montembeault stopped 33 of 36 shots (.917 SV%) for his second victory of the season as he beat Columbus in his previous start. The 27-year-old World Championship winner is 2-1-0 so far in 2023-24, with a .901 SV% and 3.29 GAA. He will take on the surging Vegas Golden Knights, who had an eight-game winning streak snapped with an overtime loss last game and are sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.67).

Del Gazio has an assist and two PIMs in five games with Milwaukee (AHL) in 2023-24 so far and has earned his first career call-up to Nashville on Monday. The 24-year-old defenseman was the Predators' 2019 fourth-round pick (109th overall) and has played four seasons in the AHL prior to his promotion.

Shepard recently made his NHL debut with the Capitals, saving 18 of 22 shots in a 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. With Charlie Lindgren set to return from an upper-body injury, Shepard is being returned to the Bears (AHL), where he had a 2.88 GAA and .885 SV% in two games this season (2-0-0).

Kahkonen will man the crease on Friday and attempt to stop the bleeding on a dreadful start to the 2023-24 campaign for the Sharks. Last night, with Mackenzie Blackwood in the net, the Sharks were blown out 6-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Blackwood has seen action more consistently to start the season for the Sharks, but their 0-6-1 record indicates they don't have much chance regardless of who is in between the pipes. The Sharks are averaging an embarrassing league-worst 1.14 goals scored per game and as a result, are +357 road underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Guhle appears to be nearing a return but is still expected to be unavailable for the Canadiens Thursday night matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Guhle has one assist, a +4 plus/minus rating, and seven shots while averaging 15:35 time-on-ice through three games this season.

Montembault will start in goal for the first time since October 17th, an outing where he allowed five goals on 35 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Canadiens have had some inconsistent results this season but have still salvaged a 3-2-1 record despite being outscored 20-18. The Canadiens are -112 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has had similar results this season, showcasing an identical 3-2-1 record while being outscored 19-17.

Montembault is expected to start for the first time since October 17th, an outing where he allowed five goals on 35 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Canadiens have had some inconsistent results this season but have still salvaged a 3-2-1 record despite being outscored 20-18. The Canadiens are -112 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has had similar results this season, showcasing an identical 3-2-1 record while being outscored 19-17.

Shepard is a 27-year-old career AHLer, who has gone 2-0-0 while allowing six goals on 52 shots (.885 SV%) in his first two starts with Hershey this season. Shepard impressed in a 33-game stint with the Bears last season, posting a .916 SV% and a 2.18 GAA to go along with a 20-8-5 record. He draws a difficult matchup in his NHL debut with the Capitals being +205 road underdogs in New Jersey.

Shepard is a 27-year-old career AHLer, who has gone 2-0-0 while allowing six goals on 52 shots (.885 SV%) in his first two starts with Hershey this season. He replaces Clay Stevenson on the Capitals' roster and figures to serve as Darcy Kuemper's backup vs. the Maple Leafs.

Laine was the target of Rasmus Andersson's high hit which led to a four-game suspension and has now been placed on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old has not played more than 56 games in a single season since 2019-20 and had a goal and an assist through four games thus far in 2023-24.

Laine took a late elbow to the head from Calgary's Rasmus Andersson in their 3-1 win Friday and will not travel with the team as they go to Minnesota on Saturday. The 25-year-old has had his career decimated by injuries as he not played more than 68 games in a season since 2018-19. Laine is considered day-to-day but will be continued to be evaluated.

After taking a backseat to Mackenzie Blackwood for the last two games and, despite him saving saving 87 of 94 shots, watching his Sharks go winless (0-1-1), Kahkonen will get the start on Thursday night against the Boston Bruins. In his only game this season, Kahkonen allowed four goals on 32 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks are +236 home underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that has yet to lose a game (2-0-0).

Dach and the Montreal Canadiens' worst fears were realized as it was confirmed he will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season with a torn ACL and MCL. Dach only had the opportunity to suit up twice this season, recording two points (0G / 2A), leaving before the completion of his second game. The 22-year-old has already battled a myriad of injuries in his young career. At least for the time being, newcomer Alex Newhook will presume the duties of second-line center for the Canadiens.

After a strong performance in his first game of the season, the Canadiens will turn to Montembault for his second consecutive start. Montembault is coming off a 28-save, 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Montembault quietly put up a respectable .901 SV% last season for a Canadiens squad that ranked fourth-worth defensively, giving up 3.72 goals per game. If Montembault can string together some more strong performances, he could be in line to take control of the starter's crease in Montreal. The Canadiens are +120 home underdogs against a Minnesota Wild team that is expected to be without Matt Boldy for the next several weeks.