The Montreal Canadiens will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Habs fans can rest easy knowing that Kirby Dach is set to play, anchoring the second line between Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov. If the Canadiens are to succeed this season, they’ll need more than just one functional line, putting extra pressure on Dach and Co. to hit the ground running once the regular season begins. Given his injury history, we will have to offer a rather long recovery runway, as it will almost assuredly take a few games for Dach to find his rhythm.
As for the first line, they played quite well on Tuesday versus the Flyers, however, that’s par for the course. Going back to the second-half of the 2024-25 season, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield have produced the type of underlying numbers that suggest they’re on the brink of becoming an elite trio.
Speaking of Slafkovsky, he will play with a birdcage, the result of being struck by a skate to the fact by his former teammate, Christian Dvorak. He was also spotted wearing a neck guard, which is a decision all NHLers should make given the risks involved in playing professional hockey.
Juraj Slafkovsky ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/HArX1e01iB
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) September 25, 2025
The most interesting combination is found on the third line, where Vinzenz Rohrer, one of the most underrated Canadiens prospects, will play with Joshua Roy and Filip Mesar. All three are looking to impress head coach Martin St-Louis in a bid to avoid starting the season in the minors, however, their lack of waiver eligibility may end up sealing their fate.
Once again, we don’t know the exact lines that will face the Canadiens, but former Hab Michael Pezzetta is expected to be in the Maple Leafs lineup. Everything changes once the players to take to the ice, but judging by the team Toronto brought on the road, the Habs should have the inside track from a skill perspective.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Bolduc – Dach – Gallagher
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Anderson – Evans – Laine
Matheson – Dobson
Guhle – Hutson
Xhekaj – Carrier
Montembeault
Dobes
Toronto Maple Leafs Roster
The @MapleLeafs roster for tonight’s preseason game in Montréal. pic.twitter.com/kUQ8pa6J9k
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) September 25, 2025
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Thursday, September 25, 2025
The Canadiens’ preseason game versus the Maple Leafs will be aired on TSN2, TSN4, as well as RDS.
Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.
