Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (12-7-3) will take on the Vegas Golden Knights (10-5-8), with the puck drop scheduled for 4:00 pm ET.
Head coach Martin St-Louis opted not to run practice on Friday morning, which means we’re yet to receive an update as to Alexandre Texier’s Canadiens debut, but he is expected to face the Golden Knights.
Starting Goaltender, Momentum Builder
The Habs managed to put an end to their five-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, and they did eke out a win versus the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, but it’s fair to say the top six has struggled to put together solid underlying numbers ever since Juraj Slafkovsky was removed from the first line.
Nick Suzuki is still producing at an excellent rate, but the numbers suggest that line is now surviving on pure skill, rather than a sustainable process.
Of course, it’s important to note that Zachary Bolduc has only had a handful of games to build chemistry with his new linemates, while Slakovsky spent the bulk of two seasons in that situation. The numbers can, and probably will change.
But it’s also true that building chemistry on the fly is difficult, and the margin for error is razor-thin, given Montreal’s position in the standings.
Netminder Samuel Montembeault will be tasked with guarding the net on Friday, looking for his first win since November 8, versus the Mammoth. This also means rookie Jakub Dobes will face the high-flying Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, a vote of confidence from head coach Martin St-Louis.
The Golden Knights will be missing a few key players, including goaltender Adin Hill, defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, and forward William Karlsson, but despite the notable absences, Vegas has a healthy amount of firepower in the lineup, making this an important barometer game for the Canadiens.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Florian Xhekaj – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Alexandre Texier* – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble – Lane Hutson
Adam Engstrom – Alexandre Carrier
Samuel Montembeault
Vegas Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel – Branden Bowman
Mitch Marner — Brett Howden — Mark Stone
Brandon Saad — Tomas Hertl — Pavel Dorofeyev
Reilly Smith — Colton Sissons — Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin — Zach Whitecloud
Ben Hutton — Kaedan Korczak
Akira Schmid
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Golden Knights
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Vegas Golden Knights, Friday, November 28, 2025, will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
