The Montreal Canadiens (18-12-4) are set to host the Pittsburgh Penguins (14-10-9), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
The Habs are coming off a dominant win versus the Chicago Blackhawks that saw Lane Hutson do what Lane Hutson does best, drive the offence from the blue line. Not only did he register three assists in the 4-1 win, he also offered a staunch defensive presence every shift.
The Canadiens will always count on players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to provide sustained shifts in the offensive zone, but they need some semblance of consistency when it comes to the rest of the forwards in the lineup.
That’s why it’s worth noting that Zachary Bolduc scored twice on Thursday, an encouraging sign given that he was yet to find the back of the net at the Bell Centre.
Phillip Danault, who was acquired in a trade less than an hour before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze took hold, will not be in uniform on Saturday, but there’s a chance he will face the Penguins in the return leg of the back-to-back games, set to take place in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
For the view from the other side of the rink, don’t forget to visit Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
Starting Goalie, Injury Updates
Rookie netminder Jacob Fowler will be tasked with shutting down Sidney Crosby and Co., a rather difficult challenge when we consider Crosby loves facing the Habs, as evidenced by the fact that he’s scored 25 goals and 45 assists in just 53 games versus the Canadiens throughout his career.
The good news is that Fowler will be playing behind a reinforced blue line, with injured defenceman Mike Matheson set to return to play. Matheson, one of the busiest defencemen at 5v5 in the league, was clearly missed by the Canadiens during his short absence.
With Matheson’s return to the lineup, defenceman Jayden Struble will watch the game from the press box as a healthy scratch, which is quite interesting, because in the past, head coach Martin St-Louis would usually opt to sit out Arber Xhekaj, a decision that flies in the face of the facts.
Xhekaj, alongside rookie Adam Engstrom, has done a great job stabilizing Montreal’s third pairing at a time when stability has been very hard to come by.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Alex Texier – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher
Joe Veleno – Owen Beck – Josh Anderson
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Alex Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – Adam Engstrom
Jacob Fowler
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Rickard Rakell – Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar – Kevin Hayes – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak – Kris Letang
Ryan Shea – Connor Clifton
Stuart Skinner (expected)
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Penguins
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, Saturday, December 20, 2025, will be aired on Sportsnet East, TVA Sports, and City TV. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
