Story by
Key Matchup: Canadiens Challenge Oilers' Star Connor McDavid
- Story by
- Key Matchup: Canadiens Challenge Oilers' Star Connor McDavid
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens (16-11-4) are set to host the Edmonton Oilers (15-11-6), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
Both teams are playing the second leg of back-to-back games, making it a relatively fair battle from a rest standpoint. The Canadiens were lucky to earn a point on Saturday versus the New York Rangers , while the Oilers easily dispatched the Toronto Maple Leafs , winning 6-3.
Advertisement
As per usual, Oilers forward Connor McDavid was at the centre of the action, scoring two goals, including one play that would lead to envy from Moses himself.
McDavid has registered 15 points over the course of his last five games (7G, 8A), and while stopping him is out of the question, the Canadiens can mitigate some of the damage he inflicts on a nightly basis.
A big part of that equation will be the play of either Jakub Dobes or Samuel Montembeault , but given that the Canadiens did not hold practice on Sunday morning, we won't know who Martin St-Louis plans to start until warmups begin. Statistically speaking, it should be Dobes' start, but there's always a chance that St-Louis will opt for yet another vote of confidence in Montembeault.
Advertisement
Of course, there's more to playing solid defence than hoping a goaltender can save the day. The Canadiens will need a much better performance from the defensive group, not to mention the many forwards who were caught cheating on Saturday.
Flying the zone too early, or failing to maintain your defensive coverage is a cardinal sin in the NHL, and the penance usually involves opponents scoring easy goals.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Joe Veleno – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher
Alexandre Texier – Owen Beck – Josh Anderson
Advertisement
Mike Matheson – Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – Adam Engstrom
Jakub Dobes / Samuel Montembeault
Edmonton Oilers Projected Lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Matthew Savoie
Trent Frederic – Adam Henrique – Mattias Janmark
Andrew Mangiapane – Curtis Lazar – David Tomasek
Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Spencer Stastney – Ty Emberson
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Oilers
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Edmonton Oilerse, Sunday, December 14, 2025, will be aired on Sportsnet West, TSN2, and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
Advertisement
Related Headlines
