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Canadiens Preview: Dobes Starts Versus Struggling Leafs
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- Canadiens Preview: Dobes Starts Versus Struggling Leafs
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens (34-18-10) will host the Toronto Maple Leaf (27-26-11) on Tuesday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
With just 20 games left in the season for the Habs, the race to the playoffs is entering its last stretch. As it stands, the Canadiens are in a relatively healthy position when it comes to earning a ticket for the springtime dance, while the Leafs are roughly one loss away from being officially eliminated.
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It's quite the reversal of fortune for the longtime rivals.
One team has emerged as an exciting collection of young players brimming with potential and an affinity for late-game heroics, while the other is watching its long-term plans dissipate into thin air as the Stanley Cup window shuts—not with a bang, but with a whimper.
The Leafs have not won a game since February 3, versus the Edmonton Oilers , whereas the Habs have banked points in nine of their last 10 games.
Another way of looking at it is that the Canadiens' playoff odds are over 80% , compared to just 0.1% for the Maple Leafs.
Of course, this doesn't mean Martin St-Louis' team can rest on its laurels. If the Canadiens want success in the season's final stretch, they'll need sustained, full-team efforts, ideally ones that clinch a playoff spot early enough to give their busiest players a much-needed night off.
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Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Jakub Dobes is set to start Tuesday night's game, and though he should be considered Montreal's best option between the pipes from a statistical standpoint, it should be noted the Canadiens are playing the first leg of back-to-back games, with a trip to Ottawa to face the Senators on Wednesday night already scheduled.
In that vein, we were bound to see both Dobes and Samuel Montembeault in action this week, even if the latter has started to lag considerably behind the former.
While the conversation in Montreal has centred on the team's lack of excellence between the pipes, it is intrinsically tied to the confusing defensive setup deployed by the Canadiens on most nights. Both Dobes and Montembeault could stand to improve their numbers, however, it's impossible to ignore the steady stream of odd-man rushes the skaters playing in front of them allow every period.
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Speaking of the skaters, the top line has featured an expected increase in production since Juraj Slafkovsky was returned to his ideal usage. That's not to say he played poorly on the second line, or that Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki are unable of scoring without him, but the fact remains that the first line is a dominant trio whenever Slafkovsky is in the mix, and that's exactly what you want to see from a team with playoff aspirations.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
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Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Jayden Struble/Arber Xhekaj* – Alex Carrier
Jakub Dobes
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
Matias Maccelli – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
Matthew Knies – John Tavares – Easton Cowan
Nicholas Robertson – Max Domi – Dakota Joshua
Steven Lorentz – Jacob Quillan – Calle Jarnkrok
Jake McCabe – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
How To Watch The Habs Vs.The Leafs
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, will be aired on Sportsnet and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle is blown.
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