The Montreal Canadiens (28-17-7) are set to host the Vegas Golden Knights (25-14-12), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
Even though this is not an Eastern Conference match up, the Canadiens are in desperate need of a win, having lost consecutive games versus the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres.
With the recent downtick in results, the Habs’ playoff odds have dropped all the way to 60%, down from 80% earlier in the month. They’re still in decent shape, but they simply cannot afford to drop any more games in which they control the flow of the play, a recurring issue this season.
As for the players to watch, Cole Caufield has managed to score an impressive eight goals in the last five games, while Vegas forward Jack Eichel has six points in the same stretch.
Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Netminder Jakub Dobes will start for the Habs, and will attempt to push his winning streak to four games. In fact, Dobes has not lost in regulation since December 9, versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, it’s also important to note that he’s produced a sub .900 save percentage in his last three games, which suggests the team will need a stronger performance to put together a solid win, one that comes without a pair of weak goals, as has been the case almost every night in January.
Beyond the goaltending, head coach Martin St-Louis will run the exact same lines that collapsed versus the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Alex Texier
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Kaiden Guhle
Arber Xhekaj – Alex Carrier
Jakub Dobes
Vegas Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Mitch Marner – Tomas Hertl – Pavel Dorofeyev
Jonas Rondbjerg – Reilly Smith – Keegan Kolesar
Braeden Bowman – Tanner Laczynski – Alexander Holtz
Jeremy Lauzon – Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
Ben Hutton – Kaedan Korczak
Akira Schmid
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Golden Knights
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday, January 27, 2026, will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle takes place.
