The Montreal Canadiens (26-15-7) are set to the Ottawa Senators (22-19-5), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
Even though the Habs currently find themselves 10 points ahead of the Senators, it’s important to remember that Ottawa has two games in hand, making this yet another crucial Atlantic Division matchup.
The Senators always show up when Montreal is in town, much like the thousands of Canadiens fans who will undoubtedly take over the Canadian Tire Centre shortly before the puck is dropped for the opening faceoff.
Beyond the usual rivalry shenanigans, we can expect Saturday’s game to be a high-scoring event, as both teams love to score goals, but struggle to show any semblance of consistency in the defensive zone.
For example, the Canadiens beat the Senators 4-3 on November 1, while the Senators returned the favour in early December, soundly beating the Habs 5-2.
In other words, we should be in for a tightly-contested battle that will likely feature a bevy of goals, fights, and post-whistle scrums.
Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Three injured players took part in practice once the team arrived in Ottawa, but Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach have not been cleared to play, leaving Jake Evans as the only possible returnee on Saturday.
Head coach Martin St-Louis is keeping his cards close to his chest, which means Evans is considered a game-time decision. If Evans is ready to return, he will likely slot into the fourth-line centre role, leaving one of Samuel Blais, Joe Veleno, and Brendan Gallagher as the designated healthy scratch.
As for the netminding situation, for the first time in a long time we’re not discussing a three-goalie rotation. Jacob Fowler was returned to the Laval Rocket (AHL) on Friday, after a successful 10-game audition with the Habs.
Consequently, veteran netminder Samuel Montembeault will be given the start versus the Senators, and will look to maintain his strong numbers since returning from his AHL conditioning stint.
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
Kaiden Guhle* – Arber Xhekaj
Samuel Montembeault
Ottawa Senators Lineup
Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stutzle – Drake Batherson
Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Claude Giroux
Ridly Greig – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Nick Cousins – Lars Eller – David Perron
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence
Leevi Merilainen
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Senators
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Ottawa, Saturday, January 17, 2026, will be aired on CityTV, Sportsnet East, and TVA Sports. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
