The Montreal Canadiens (4-1-0) are set to host the New York Rangers (2-3-1), with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Things are going quite well for the Canadiens from a results standpoint, as their 3-2 overtime win on Thursday propelled them toward the top of the Atlantic Division standings, and they have done so while improving a few notable areas that were once considered an area of weakness.
Unfortunately, the injury bug has reared its ugly head, as the Habs announced Kaiden Guhle (lower-body injury, 4-6 weeks), Kirby Dach (lower-body injury, day-to-day), and Patrik Laine (lower-body injury, day-to-day) will be unable to face the Rangers.
Consequently, Owen Beck was recalled from the Laval Rocket, while newcomer Joe Veleno is expected to make his Canadiens debut.
Guhle was in pain on Thursday, following a play that forced him to retreat to the locker room, however, he did manage to return to the bench in the third period. It seemed that he had avoided the worst, but the Canadiens will have to call on their defensive depth to plug the hole on the blue line for the next month, or more.
Kaiden Guhle having a hard time getting off the ice: pic.twitter.com/oNDTQ8C1Cb
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 17, 2025
Beck is set to play alongside Joe Veleno and Zachary Bolduc, while defenceman Arber Xhekaj will return to the lineup after watching the last game from the press box as a healthy scratch. Seeing as Jayden Struble found success alongside Lane Hutson last season, they will assume the second-pairing duties in Guhle’s absence.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Bolduc – Beck – Beck
Anderson – Evans – Gallagher
Matheson – Dobson
Struble – Hutson
Xhekaj – Carrier
Montembeault
Dobes
Projected New York Rangers Lineup
Panarin Zibanejad – Cuylle
Sheary – Miller – Lafreniere
Parssinen – Laba – Raddysh
Edstrom – Carrick – Rempe
Gavrikov – Fox
Schneider – Vaakanainen
Robertson – Borgen
Shesterkin
How to Watch the Montreal Canadiens vs. the New York Rangers, Saturday, October 18, 2025
The Canadiens game versus the Rangers will be aired on City TV, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available.
