Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10) will face the New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) on Sunday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
This is the second leg of back-to-back games, with both team managing to secure at least one point in the first matchup. The Canadiens built a 3-0 lead, but the Devils clawed their way back into the game, pushing it to the shootout, where first-year players Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen scored for the Habs.
Cole Caufield also scored, but only in the shootout, which means the Bell Centre faithful will have an opportunity to celebrate his 50th goal.
It’s also important to note that the Canadiens can clinch a playoff spot on Sunday. If they beat the Devils again, they’ll make it on their own, however, they’ll also officially qualify if the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Minnesota Wild. The Habs only have 32 regulation wins, which is why the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently below them in the Atlantic Division standings, have already qualified.
Simply put, it’s only a matter of time before the Canadiens punch their ticket to the springtime dance for the second consecutive season, quite the achievement when we consider they finished last in the league in 2021-22.
Lineup Changes
Given that the team did not practice on Sunday, any lineup changes will be confirmed once the Canadiens take to the ice for the pregame warm-up.
That being said, the Habs are expected to give rookie netminder Jacob Fowler the start on Sunday, seeing as his first-year counterpart, Jakub Dobes, faced the Devils on Saturday night.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Joe Veleno – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson
Kaiden Guhle – Arber Xhekaj
Jacob Fowler
New Jersey Devils Projected Lineup
Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer
Jesper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Connor Brown
Lenni Hameenaho – Cody Glass – Nick Bjugstad
Evgenii Dadonov – Paul Cotter – Maxim Tsyplakov
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes – Jonathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon – Simon Nemec
Jacob Markstrom
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Devils
The Montreal Canadiens versus the New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 5, 2026, 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.
