Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Game 27: Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet E/O/P (English), TVA Sports (French)
Streaming: ESPN+, CBC Gem, Sportsnet+
The Montreal Canadiens’ opening third of the 2025-26 season is set to conclude with a critical battle against the Toronto Maple Leafs that could determine the overall success of the first 27 matches. A win tonight gives them a four-point edge in the standings; a loss evens the teams at 31 points with only Montreal’s one less game played keeping them ahead. The Atlantic Division is not a strong one this season, and it could be that the only teams that make the playoffs are the three that secure seeded positions at the end of the year, so all of these intradivisional games are vital.
That’s a realization the Maple Leafs hadn’t come to a couple of weeks ago when the teams faced off in Montreal, but now Toronto is playing with a real sense of urgency, entering the game having won three games in a row. Depth of scoring has been a major help during this run, but the play of their defence has also been stellar, with Jake McCabe and Troy Stecher posting goal differentials of +9 and +8, respectively, during the winning streak. They’ve been trusted by head coach Craig Berube to play the most of any pairing during this run, and will be again tonight.
Montreal will need to find a way through those two pillars without the bad habit of forcing things that led to their latest slump. The Canadiens play at their best when all five members are involved in getting the puck up the ice, but only if it’s done with the proper support, which has faltered since the start of the season. Toronto has three lines capable of making the Habs pay for any turnover that leads to a counter-attack, so a disciplined approach is the only path to winning this game.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
Left Wing
Centre
Right Wing
#13 Cole Caufield
#14 Nick Suzuki
#20 Juraj Slafkovský
#85 Alexandre Texier
#91 Oliver Kapanen
#93 Ivan Demidov
#17 Josh Anderson
#71 Jake Evans
#11 Brendan Gallagher
#49 Jared Davidson
#90 Joe Veleno
#76 Zachary Bolduc
Left Defence
Right Defence
#8 Mike Matheson
#53 Noah Dobson
#47 Jayden Struble
#48 Lane Hutson
#72 Arber Xhekaj
#45 Alexandre Carrier
Starter
Backup
#75 Jakub Dobeš
#35 Samuel Montembeault
Injured: Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook
Toronto Maple Leafs projected lineup
Left Wing
Centre
Right Wing
Matthew Knies
Auston Matthews
Max Domi
Easton Cowan
John Tavares
William Nylander
Dakota Joshua
Nicolas Roy
Bobby McMann
Steven Lorentz
Scott Laughton
Nick Robertson
Left Defence
Right Defence
Jake McCabe
Troy Stecher
Morgan Rielly
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit
Philippe Myers
Starter
Backup
Denis Hildeby
Artur Akhtyamov
