Canadiens @ Islanders: Game thread and lines
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Apr 11, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) makes a save on Montreal Canadiens right wing Joel Armia (40) during the second period at UBS Arena. | Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDTIn Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)In the Islanders region: MSGSNStreaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
It’s a battle between Cayden Primeau and Semyon Varlamov, two goalies who haven’t held up their end of the bargain in their respective tandems this season, who get the nods for tonight game between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders. The Canadiens opted to go with Samuel Montembeault for each match of the recent three-game homestand, so this will be Primeau’s first start since allowing six goals to the Boston Bruins on October 10.
We will have to wait until the team takes the ice to warmup to see how the skating formation looks. Both Mike Matheson and Juraj Slafkovský are questionable for the game, so Jayden Struble, the recently recalled Logan Mailloux, and Michael Pezzetta are all options to get into their first game of the season. Perhaps some fresh legs for a player wanting to prove he deserves a more permanent place will be a boost to the overall energy.
Without Guhle, we’re probably going to see another heavy deployment for Lane Hutson. After a busy start, the Habs are entering a light portion of the schedule with two days off before the next game and a three-day break after that, so we may see the rookie blue-liner approach 30 minutes once again knowing there is some recovery time upcoming.
Scratched: Michael Pezzetta, Arber XhekajInjured: Kaiden Guhle. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Patrik Laine
New York Islanders projected lineup Left Wing Centre Right Wing Anthony Duclair Bo Horvat Mathew Barzal Maxim Tsyplakov Brock Nelson Kyle Palmieri Anders Lee Jean-Gabriel Pageau Simon Holmstrom Casey Cizikas Kyle MacLean Julien Gauthier Left Defence Right Defence Alexander Romanov Noah Dobson Adam Pelech Ryan Pulock Mikey Reilly Scott Mayfield Starter Backup Semyon Varlamov Ilya Sorokin
