The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning are set to face off on December 28, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET. Here's a look at the projected lineups for both teams. The game will be broadcast on The Spot, TSN2, and RDS.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup:
- Forwards: Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Zack Bolduc / Juraj Slafkovsky - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov / Alexandre Texier - Phillip Danault - Josh Anderson / Sammy Blais - Joe Veleno - Brendan Gallagher
- Defense: Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson / Lane Hutson - Adam Engstrom / Arber Xhekaj - Alexandre Carrier
- Goalies: Jacob Fowler, Jakub Dobes
The Canadiens have a few players currently sidelined with injuries, including Kirby Dach (broken foot), Alex Newhook (broken ankle), Kaiden Guhle (lower body), Patrik Laine (lower body), and Jake Evans (lower body). Jake Evans is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks following a knee-on-knee hit on December 20. Jayden Struble, Owen Beck, and Sam Montembeault are expected to be scratched. Sam Montembeault is back from his conditioning stint with Laval of the American Hockey League.
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup:
- Forwards: Gage Goncalves - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov / Jake Guentzel - Anthony Cirelli - Oliver Bjorkstrand / Pontus Holmberg - Yanni Gourde - Zemgus Girgensons / Curtis Douglas - Nick Paul - Scott Sabourin
- Defense: J.J. Moser - Darren Raddysh / Charle-Edouard D'Astous - Steven Santini / Declan Carlile - Max Crozier
- Goalies: Jonas Johansson, Andrei Vasilevskiy
The Lightning are dealing with their own injury issues. Ryan McDonagh (lower body), Erik Cernak (undisclosed), Victor Hedman (elbow), Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed), and Brandon Hagel (upper body) are all currently injured. Hagel's status is questionable for the game. McDonagh and Cernak are unlikely to play but could potentially return during the upcoming three-game road trip. Dominic James and Jack Finley are expected to be scratched.
Additional Game Notes:
The Lightning are favored to win the game. In their last games, Montreal won against Boston Bruins 6-2 and Tampa Bay won against Florida Panthers 4-2. Nikita Kucherov and Noah Dobson are players to watch for.
