Montreal Canadiens News

Berard has zero points through 13 games with the Rangers this season and will head back to the AHL. The 23-year-old forward has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 34 games this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

Montembeault has had a disappointing 2025-26 season, but will hope to pick up where he left off in his final outing before the Olympic break, saving 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Troubles aside, the 29-year-old Montembeault was performing better after returning from a conditioning stint in the AHL in late December, posting a 2.84 GAA and .902 SV% in his last eight outings (5-2-1). The Canadiens enter Thursday's contest as -142 home favourites against a New York Islanders team that entered the break on a two-game winning streak.

Montembeault has had a disappointing 2025-26 season, but will hope to pick up where he left off in his final outing before the Olympic break, saving 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Troubles aside, the 29-year-old Montembeault was performing better after returning from a conditioning stint in the AHL in late December, posting a 2.84 GAA and .902 SV% in his last eight outings (5-2-1). The Canadiens enter Thursday's contest as -142 home favourites against a New York Islanders team that entered the break on a two-game winning streak.

With Alex Newhook (ankle) set to return from a multi-month absence, Bolduc will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 23-year-old Bolduc has 23 points (10G / 13A) in 57 games this season and had five points (0G / 5A) in Montreal’s final seven games heading into the Olympic break.

Newhook has been sidelined since mid-November due to a fractured ankle, but is set to return to Montreal's lineup in their first game back from the Olympic break on Thursday against the New York Islanders. The 25-year-old Newhook is averaging 14:38 time-on-ice and has 12 points (6G / 6A) in 17 games this season.

Kapanen was scratched for Finland's tournament opener, but he'll replace Joel Kiviranta as the 13th forward vs. Sweden. Kapanen is having a great season with Montreal, scoring 18 goals with 13 assists (31 points) through 57 games, but he likely won't see many minutes on Friday.

Arber Xhekaj will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Struble to re-enter the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets. The 24-year-old Struble is averaging 14:07 time-on-ice, recording seven points (0G / 7A), 17 blocks, and 71 hits in 38 games this season.

Jayden Struble will draw back into Montreal's lineup on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets, sending Xhekaj to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Xhekaj is averaging 11:20 time-on-ice, recording two points (1G / 1A), 33 blocks, 135 hits, and 104 penalty minutes in 50 games.

Jakub Dobes has started the past several games for the Canadiens. Still, after losing 4-3 to the Minnesota Wild on Monday, Montreal will turn to Montembeault on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 29-year-old Montembeault showed encouraging signs immediately after returning from a conditioning stint in Laval (AHL), but has seemingly returned to his early-season struggles, allowing three or more goals in four straight games (1-2-1), posting a 3.80 GAA and .867 SV%. The Canadiens enter Wednesday's contest with even -105 odds on the road against a struggling Jets team that has lost four of its last six games (2-2-2).

Dobes has had a wildly inconsistent season, varying month to month. He had an elite 2.03 GAA and .930 SV% in six October games (6-0-0), which he followed up with a dreadful November, posting a 4.02 GAA and .849 SV% in seven games (2-3-2). The 24-year-old Czech goalie has been more reliable lately, coming off a stellar 36-save performance in a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres and improving to 6-0-0 in his last six games. The Canadiens enter the action on Monday as +113 road underdogs against the Minnesota Wild, who hold the best record in the NHL since the beginning of November (29-8-7).

Berard will slot in on Thursday as the Rangers opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Jonny Brodzinski will sit in his place.

Jonny Brodzinski will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Berard to enter the lineup against the Islanders. Berard went scoreless in 12 games with the Rangers earlier this season, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 23-year-old forward has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 30 games with Hartford (AHL) this season.

Berard went scoreless in 12 games with the Rangers earlier this season, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 23-year-old forward has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 30 games with Hartford (AHL) this season.

Dobes has had a wildly inconsistent season, varying month to month. He had an elite 2.03 GAA and .930 SV% in six October games (6-0-0), which he followed up with a dreadful November, posting a 4.02 GAA and .849 SV% in seven games (2-3-2). The 24-year-old Czech goalie has been more reliable lately, is coming off a stellar 32-save performance (.941 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights, and has won six of his last seven outings (6-0-1).