The Montreal Canadiens (25-13-6) are set to face the Detroit Red Wings (26-15-4), with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Saturday’s game will be the second time these teams meet this season, with the Habs earning a 5-1 win in early October.
Much has changed since then, as both the Canadiens and Red Wings currently find themselves atop the Atlantic Division standings with 56 points, though Montreal has one game in hand.
The winner will not only claim the top spot in the division, there’s also a chance they could end up as the top team in the Eastern Conference if the Carolina Hurricanes falter versus the Seattle Kraken.
Regardless, it’s fair to say that Montreal and Detroit have done a much better job in the rebuild department, at least compared to the handful of NHL teams that have failed to generate any semblance of momentum since hitting the reset switch.
For the view from the other side of the rink, make sure to visit our sister site Detroit Hockey Now.
Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis will turn to rookie netminder Jacob Fowler versus the Red Wings, which tells us two things.
The first is that St-Louis considers Fowler to be the goalie who gives him the best chance of winning, which is true. The second is we’re probably going to see some movement in the near future that will finally cull the three-headed monster in Montreal’s crease. In all likelihood, we’ll see Jakub Dobes assigned to the Laval Rocket in the relatively near future.
The other important roster change will see injured defenceman Kaiden Guhle return to the fold, after having recovered from his latest injury, a partially torn adductor muscle.
It will be Guhle’s first game since October 16, which means we shouldn’t expect him to immediately absorb 25 minutes of difficult ice time, even if that’s his usual role with the Habs. Logic dictates he will be used sparingly for a game or two before returning to his usual hellish assignments.
Guhle practised with Xhekaj on Saturday morning, suggesting it will be Jayden Struble who watches the game from the press box as a healthy scratch.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Alex Texier
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc -Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Samuel Blais – Joe Veleno – Owen Beck
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Alex Carrier
Kaiden Guhle* – Arber Xhekaj
Jacob Fowler
Detroit Red Wings Projected Lineup
Emmitt Finnie – Dylan Larkin – Marco Kasper
Alex DeBrincat — Andrew Copp — Patrick Kane
James van Riemsdyk – J.T. Compher – Lucas Raymond
John Leonard – Michael Rasmussen – Mason Appleton
Simon Edvinsson – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Axel Sandin-Pelikka
Albert Johansson – Jacob Bernard-Docker
John Gibson
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Red Wings
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Detroit Red Wings, Saturday, January 10, 2026, will be aired on City TV, Sportsnet East, and TVA Sports. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
