Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (36-20-10) will face the Boston Bruins (37-23-7) on Tuesday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
This will be the fourth and final time these longtime rivals meet in the regular season, and though there’s always a certain level of intensity in play, Tuesday’s game may result in fireworks, as both teams are fighting to earn a playoff spot.
Statistically speaking, Montreal is in relatively good shape, with 80% odds they’ll end up qualifying for the playoffs. On the flip side of the coin, they’re only three points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that is presently on the outside looking into the playoff picture.
In other words, the Canadiens cannot afford to have another poor stretch, such as their back-to-back losses versus the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks on the weekend.
To make matters more complicated, the Habs will be without Kirby Dach, as he will be in the infirmary for up to four weeks with an upper-body injury. The hit that took Dach out of action occurred in the first period of Sunday’s game versus the Ducks, when Jeffrey Viel caught him a little high. At the very least, it isn’t a season-ending injury, which can be used as good news in Dach’s case, considering his injury history.
Here’s the high hit by Jeffrey Viel on Kirby Dach tonight.
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 16, 2026
Dach went to the Habs dressing room afterwards.
pic.twitter.com/Yy2FvD9tyJ
The Canadiens have plenty of healthy forwards ready to pick up the slack, including Alexandre Texier and Zachary Bolduc. Texier and Bolduc will feature on a line with veteran centre Jake Evans.
As for the netminders, Jakub Dobes will get the start, and will look to return to his winning ways after a disappointing outing on Saturday versus the Sharks, which saw him stop 18 of the 21 shots sent his way.
While it’s very easy to suggest Montreal needs better goaltending, they must do a better job mitigating high-danger scoring chances for their opponents, a recurring issue this season.
Whether it’s Dobes, Jacob Fowler, or Samuel Montembeault guarding the net, the Canadiens will have a difficult time earning wins by allowing the opposing team to take an endless flow of high-quality shots every period.
It’s similar to plugging holes in a leaky boat.
Stopping those leaks is better than not taking any action at all, but in the long run, you’ll need to find a better route that doesn’t result in so many holes in the hull.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Alex Texier
Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle – Alex Carrier
Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson
Jakub Dobes
Boston Bruins Projected Lineup
David Pastrnak – Fraser Minten – Marat Khusnutdinov
Casey Mittelstadt – Pavel Zacha – Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Steeves – Elias Lindholm – Morgan Geekie
Tanner Jeannot – Sean Kuraly – Mark Kastelic
Jonathan Aspirot – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Mason Lohrei
Nikita Zadorov – Henri Jokiharju
Jeremy Swayman
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Bruins
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Boston Bruins, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, will be aired on RDS and TSN2. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle is blown.
