The Montreal Canadiens (20-12-6) are set to face the Florida Panthers (21-15-2), with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
This will be the final game of the calendar year for the Habs, featuring the same netminder who closed out last year against the Vegas Golden Knights: veteran Samuel Montembeault.
Given the ascension of Jacob Fowler, not to mention the superior play of Jakub Dobes, Montembeault has been relegated to a support role for the Canadiens, after spending a significant stretch of the month in the AHL, with the Laval Rocket.
With that in mind, Montembeault has only started two NHL games in December, and has not enjoyed a win since November 28. If he can find his rhythm the team will be in a much stronger position, but it will be impossible to ignore the discrepancy in results between Montembeault and the rookies should he continue to falter.
As for the lines, we should expect a major change on the top line, as newcomer Alex Texier practised alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on Monday. Consequently, Zachary Bolduc was relegated to the third line, with Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson.
Finally, the fourth line should remain intact, though it must be said that they failed to provide much value to the Canadiens on Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Martin St-Louis is expected to run the same combination, which features Joe Veleno, Samuel Blais, and Brendan Gallagher, but there’s a chance he’ll want to include Owen Beck versus the Panthers to add a little energy and youthful exuberance to the mix.
For the view from the other side of the rink, please visit our sister site Florida Hockey Now.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Alex Texier
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc -Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson
Samuel Blais – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Alex Carrier
Adam Engstrom – Arber Xhekaj
Samuel Montembeault
Florida Panthers Projected Lineup
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer
Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicka – Jesper Boqvist
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
Sergei Bobrovsky
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Panthers
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Florida Panthers, Tuesday, December 30, 2025, will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. An instant recap complete
