The Montreal Canadiens (17-12-4) are set to host the Chicago Blackhawks (13-14-6), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
This will be a battle of two clubs that struggle for any semblance of consistency, with the Habs establishing a 4-5-1 record in their last 10 games, while the Blackhawks have gone 3-6-1.
One of the main sticking issues for the Canadiens is the play of their second line. While there’s no denying Oliver Kapanen continues to score an impressive amount of goals, the line itself tends to get outplayed by a wide margin at 5v5. In a perfect world, you’d see both goals and encouraging underlying numbers, but such is life during a rebuild.
As for the bottom six, we’re starting to see some semblance of offence via Alexandre Texier, as evidenced by his three goals in four games, a sign that he’s starting to find his rhythm with his new organization.
Another big goal from Alex Texier, via his great shot.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 17, 2025
1-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/2BH081E4Yx
Texier, Kapanen, and others will once again be counted upon to drive the charge on Thursday, facing a Blackhawks team that has to play without star Connor Bedard for the foreseeable future, as he’s sidelined with an arm injury that will keep him out of the lineup until the New Year.
Seeing as Bedard is the straw that stirs Chicago’s hopes and dreams, this will be a perfect opportunity for the Canadiens to build a little momentum before the holiday break takes hold.
Starting Goalie, Injury Updates
Head coach Martin St-Louis will call upon rookie netminder Jacob Dobes, though seeing as that Samuel Montembeault is in the AHL on a conditioning stint, the Canadiens only have first-year goaltenders at their disposal at this exact moment.
Dobes leads all Canadiens goaltenders with a .885 save percentage, which tells you all you need to know about life as a goalie playing in Montreal this season.
There’s no doubt the goaltenders can be better, but the biggest issue is the lack of defensive prowess. On that note, St-Louis will have to play without Mike Matheson again, putting even more pressure on his struggling defensive units. Matheson is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury.
And finally, even though initial reports suggested injured forward Kirby Dach may be able to return to the ice around the holidays, the team does not expect him to be available soon. Given his injury history, there’s no doubt the organization is taking all necessary precautions before reinserting him into the lineup.
Martin St. Louis says he doesn’t think Kirby Dach will be back “soon” as he continues to recover from broken foot. #Habs
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) December 18, 2025
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Alex Texier – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher
Joe Veleno – Owen Beck – Josh Anderson
Jayden Struble – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Alex Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – Adam Engstrom
Jakub Dobes
Chicago Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Andre Burakovsky
Oliver Moore — Ryan Greene — Nick Lardis
Teuvo Teravainen — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach — Dominic Toninato — Ryan Donato
Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Matt Grzelcyk — Wyatt Kaiser
Ethan Del Mastro — Connor Murphy
Spencer Knight
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Blackhawks
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Chicago Blackhawks, Thursday, December 18, 2025, will be aired on TSN2, and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
