Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (10-6-2) are set to face the Columbus Blue Jackets (9-7-2), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
It’s a very important game for the Canadiens, and not just because they’ve lost three in a row. Given the injury situation, it will be the first among many tests of their resilience, as the team will have to do without Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle, and Kirby Dach for an extended stretch.
A fractured foot will keep Dach out of the lineup until late December, a torn abductor muscle will see Guhle sidelined until early January, and Newhook’s broken ankle means he will not be available until mid-March. This is in addition to Patrik Laine’s core-muscle injury, which has an expected recovery time frame landing in February.
Simply put, a lineup that was already lacking depth prior to the injuries will now have to find a way to win without a handful of very important players.
There’s always a temptation to use injuries as the ultimate excuse, and there’s no doubt playing with a diminished roster makes winning hockey games more difficult, but such is life in professional sports.
Every team deals with injuries, and every team must rise to the occasion when adversity hits.
Canadiens Forward Lines And Starting Goaltender
Based on practice on Sunday, the Canadiens will run several new lines, while keeping their top combination intact.
It remains to be seen if head coach Martin St-Louis will maintain these lines up to puck drop, but for now, we can expect Joshua Roy to play with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, while rookie Jared Davidson fills out the fourth line, alongside Joe Veleno and Brendan Gallagher.
Davidson was only given a handful of shifts in his NHL debut, but as per tradition, he managed to make an impression regardless of his usage. The 23-year-old put four shots on net versus the Boston Bruins, and provided the team with exactly what it needed: an honest effort paired with a seemingly endless dose of energy.
Jared Davidson comes as advertised.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 16, 2025
He's gotten limited ice time, but he's put 4 pucks on net, and he's provided an honest effort every single shift.
I think St-Louis will quickly learn to love this kid. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/PyMNOfsl9V
Rookie netminder Jakub Dobes will guard the net for the Habs, making just his third start in November.
In other roster news, the Canadiens recalled defenceman Marc Del Gaizo from the Laval Rocket, to add an insurance policy to the mix as the team heads on the road. This allows important prospects like Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher to keep busy in the AHL, while Del Gaizo serves as a contingency plan in the NHL.
We will be sure to update our lineups should the team provide any clues as to the exact lineup to be used versus the Blue Jackets.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Joshua Roy – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Jared Davidson – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble – Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Jakub Dobes
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lineup
Dmitri Voronkov – Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko
Luca Del Bel Belluz – Sean Monahan – Kent Johnson
Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Mathieu Olivier
Miles Wood – Isac Lundestrom – Yegor Chinakhov
Zach Werenski – Ivan Provorov
Denton Mateychuk – Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen – Dante Fabbro
Jet Greaves
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Blue Jackets
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, Monday, November 17, 2025, will be aired on RDS and Amazon Prime. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
