Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (38-21-10) will face the Carolina Hurricanes (45-19-6) on Tuesday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
This will be the first of two meetings between the clubs in the final stretch of the season, with another match up set for March 29, in Carolina.
In the meantime, the Canadiens will want to do everything possible to secure two points on home ice, especially since most teams chasing them for the final spots in the Eastern Conference playoff race happen to be securing points at an alarming rate.
Montreal’s playoff odds are hovering near 80%, however, they’re just two points up on the Detroit Red Wings, the team currently ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference. The Habs do have a game in hand, but the point stands, there’s very little room for error when it comes to their playoff aspirations.
As for the Hurricanes, they haven’t officially qualified for the playoffs, but it’s a formality given that they’ve already accumulated 96 points, good for first overall in the conference.
This doesn’t mean they’ll take the Canadiens lightly. Carolina loves putting their best foot forward any time they face the Habs, though it must be said it was Montreal who emerged with a 7-5 win the last time they met, back on January 1.
If the Habs are to beat the Hurricanes again, they’ll rely on their first line to do most of the damage, as per tradition. Cole Caufield is fresh off a hat-trick effort, Juraj Slafkovsky has emerged as a much-improved winger who can drive the offence, and Nick Suzuki continues to provide the type of hockey necessary to ensure his team is in good shape to take the next step in their long-term rebuild plans.
Jakub Dobes will serve as Montreal’s starter, featuring in his 35th game of the year in the process, not to mention just his 51st career game in the NHL. Experience aside, he’s done a great job giving Montreal a better chance of winning games this season, even if his save percentage (.893%) leaves a little something to be desired. The Habs allow their opponents to take a bevy of high-quality chances every night, which clearly makes life more difficult on their goaltenders.
In that vein, the Canadiens will need more than just excellent goaltending to beat a team such as the Hurricanes. Smart defensive work, including proper defensive positioning, is in order.
Head coach Martin St-Louis refused to reveal any lineup changes, suggesting his team is already in playoff mode, which is a fairly smart way of preparing for the final games of the regular season.
Martin St. Louis says we’ll see his lineup tonight. Won’t confirm or deny any changes.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 24, 2026
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Alex Texier
Joe Veleno – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle – Alex Carrier
Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson
Jakub Dobes
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook
William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker
Mike Reilly – Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Carolina Hurricanes
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Hurricanes, Tuesday, March 24, 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.
