Canadiens lineup tonight: Montreal’s projected lineup for game against the Ottawa Senators| February 22, 2025

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action tonight. Following the All-Star break and the 4 Nations Face-Off, Montreal will take on the Ottawa Senators at 7:00 pm EST. Montreal are currently in seventh place with a 25-26-5 record, while the Senators are seven points ahead with a 29-23-4 record.

Right now, only Emil Heineman has an injury designation. The left wing did return to practice on Friday, but he's still on Injured Reserve and isn't expected to play. Everyone else is healthy coming out of the break.

With that in mind, here's what their lineup should look like. Note that it can change before the puck drop tonight:

Forwards:

1. LW Cole Caufield - C Nick Suzuki - RW Jake Evans
2. LW Alex Newhook - C Kirby Dach - RW Josh Anderson
3. LW Patrik Laine - C Owen Beck - RWJoel Armia
4. LW Juraj Slafkovsky - C Christian Dvorak - RW Brendan Gallagher

Defensive Pairs:

1. Mike Matheson - Lane Hutson
2. Jayden Struble - Alexandre Carrier
3. Arber Xhekaj - David Savard

Goalkeepers:

• Jakub Dobes
• Sam Montembeault

Powerplay Units:

1. Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Lane Hutson
2. Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Matheson, Alex Newhook

Penalty Kill Lines:

1. Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Mike Matheson, David Savard
2. Christian Dvorak, Josh Anderson, Arber Xhekaj, Alexandre Carrier

The Canadiens are currently six points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They are also seven back of the Senators, who hold the top wild-card spot.

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Odds for tonight's Canadiens game and a look at the upcoming schedule

The Montreal Canadiens are underdogs on the road against the Ottawa Senators today. Here are the full odds according to Odds Shark:

• Montreal is +148 on the moneyline.
• Ottawa is -185 to win outright.
• The puck line is Ottawa -1.5, which is +140.
• The Canadiens are -165 to cover.
• The total is 5.5 goals.
• The over is -125.
• The under is +105.

After tonight's contest, Montreal has two consecutive home games. They host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 pm EST. They then host the San Jose Sharks at the same time on Thursday.

The Canadiens are underdogs tonight (Imagn)

They finish the week out with a road contest on Mar. 1 at 7:00 pm EST. They'll be visiting the Buffalo Sabres.