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Canadiens Preview: Florian Xhekaj To Make NHL Debut Vs. Leafs
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- Canadiens Preview: Florian Xhekaj To Make NHL Debut Vs. Leafs
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens (10-7-3) are set to host the Toronto Maple Leafs (9-9-3), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
The Habs are coming off five straight losses, including Thursday night's 8-4 drubbing at the hands of the Washington Capitals .
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Both Canadiens goaltenders struggled to find their rhythm, with starter Samuel Montembeault allowing three goals on 10 shots before being pulled, and Jakub Dobes stopping 21 of the 25 shots sent his way. With that in mind, it's fair to say Habs netminders have lost any semblance of confidence, a situation that has revealed a few clear-cut roster issues.
There have been calls to promote Jacob Fowler from the AHL , however, it's important to remember that goalie development almost always requires patience, and the team isn't playing well enough to justify putting Fowler's development at risk.
Simply put, despite enjoying one of the smoothest rebuilds in recent NHL history, the Canadiens are far from being a legitimate NHL contender.
Starting Goaltender, Xhekaj Reunion
Dobes will be called-upon to start versus the Leafs, but he'll be playing behind the exact same defensive setup as he did on Thursday night, which means he'll have to be at the top of his game, as the Canadiens tend to allow a bevy of high-danger chances every night.
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The forward lines will see one major change, with Florian Xhekaj set to make his NHL debut. Xhekaj will play on the third line alongside Jake Evans and Josh Anderson , and — of course — will likely see a few shifts while his brother, Arber, is on the ice as well.
This will push Joshua Roy to the press box, where he'll watch the game as a healthy scratch.
Toronto Maple Leafs Woes
While it's true the Canadiens are dealing with their fair share of injury concerns, the same can be said about the Maple Leafs.
They'll have to do without both Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews on Saturday night, in addition to already missing Anthony Stolarz , Nicolas Roy , Chris Tanev , and Brandon Carlo .
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It should also be noted that the Leafs have had a very hard time controlling the flow of the play this season, and currently find themselves 26th in the NHL in terms of shot control , with just 46.7%.
The Leafs will always provide an honest effort versus the Canadiens, but this does feel like the best chance Montreal will have to etch out a win, and avoid seeing the momentum train completely derail before it's too late.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Florian Xhekaj– Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Jared Davidson – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher
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Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Samuel Montembeault
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
William Nylander – John Tavares – Calle Jarnkrok
Bobby McMann – Max Domi – Nicholas Robertson
Easton Cowan – Scott Laughton – Steven Lorentz
Dakota Joshua — Jacob Quillan — Samuel Blais
Morgan Rielly – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Leafs
The Montreal Canadiens versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday, November 22, 2025, will be aired on TVA Sports, Sportsnet, and HNIC. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
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