Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (34-18-10) will face the Ottawa Senators (32-22-9) on Wednesday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
There will be a familiar face guarding Montreal’s net, however, it won’t be Jakub Dobes or Samuel Montembeault. The Canadiens opted to recall rookie netminder Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket in the AHL, and he will indeed receive the start versus the Senators.
It’s a sign that the Canadiens have come to the conclusion that their veteran netminder, Montembeault, is no longer capable of giving them a reasonable chance to win, and thus, is hindering their race to the playoffs in the hotly contested Eastern Conference.
On the flip side of the coin, we could consider this a significant vote in confidence for the young goalie, who has done a great job establishing himself as one of the best netminders in the AHL this season, with a 19-7-1 record, and a fantastic .919 save percentage.
This isn’t Fowler’s first kick at can, seeing as he played 10 games with the Canadiens earlier in the season, stabilizing their shaky goaltending situation enough to put the team back on track for a playoff spot.
With a .902 save percentage, Fowler did not dominate the league by any means, but he did outplay both Dobes and Montembeault, another reminder that he possesses the type of talent necessary to one day becoming a starter in the NHL.
This is also reflected in his rank among all Canadiens prospects. Habs fans opted to vote Fowler as the second-best young player in the organization, beating more than 40 other prospects to earn the prestigious ranking. Only Michael Hage finished above Fowler in the final vote.
Habs coach Marty St. Louis on the decision to recall and start Jacob Fowler tonight:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 11, 2026
“You look at where we are today and results are important, I think it’s the best decision for the game tonight.” pic.twitter.com/1ueknuQA3a
It remains to be seen how long the decision to promote Fowler will last, but it must be said that facing the surging Senators in his first game back in the league does present quite the challenge.
Ottawa always offers an honest effort versus the Canadiens, and though Montreal has won two of their three meetings this season, the Senators are also in the midst of a playoff push, and are expected to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the Habs on Wednesday night.
Once that’s done, they may just toss the kitchen sink as well.
As per usual, the game will likely feature a heightened level of physicality, a heavy dose of emotion, a few fights, and the traditional shenanigans that take place whenever the Atlantic Division rivals meet.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle – Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alex Carrier
Jacob Fowler
Ottawa Senators Projected Lineup
Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund
Thomas Chabot – Artem Zub
Nikolas Matinpalo – Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence
Ullmark
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Senators
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Ottawa Senators, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, will be aired on Sportsnet and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle is blown.
