Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Game 62: Montreal Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Kings region: FanDuel Sports Network West, KCAL
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+

The tone of the game was set very early last night with a goal scored by each of the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens in the opening 61 seconds, and another for the Ducks disallowed at the 20-second mark. It was going to be another barn-burner, and at the end of regulation there were 10 goals scored, after 12 in the game versus the San Jose Sharks three days earlier.

High-event hockey hasn’t been a phrase you could use to describe the Los Angeles Kings over the past two decades, but at least right now it applies. They’ve given up 29 goals in their past seven games, and that includes a shutout of the goal-starved Calgary Flames. So Montreal should still be able to score even if it isn’t a young, inexperienced team on the other side.

As ever, the questions are on defence, and at some point the players just have to decide they’re going to perform better in that department. The goaltenders have faced 16 high-danger chances at five-on-five on this trip, and surrendered three power-play goals. Holding the Kings to three goals should be enough to let their offence take over and get a needed win in the finale, though that’s been a tough ask so far.

Montreal Canadiens projected lineup

Left Wing
Centre
Right Wing

#13 Cole Caufield
#14 Nick Suzuki
#20 Juraj Slafkovský

#15 Alex Newhook
#91 Oliver Kapanen
#93 Ivan Demidov

#76 Zachary Bolduc
#71 Jake Evans
#77 Kirby Dach

#17 Josh Anderson
#24 Phillip Danault
#11 Brendan Gallagher

Left Defence
Right Defence

#8 Mike Matheson
#21 Kaiden Guhle

#48 Lane Hutson
#53 Noah Dobson

#72 Arber Xhekaj
#45 Alexandre Carrier

Starter
Backup

#75 Jakub Dobeš
#35 Samuel Montembeault

Scratched: Jayden Struble, Alexandre Texier, Joe Veleno
Injured: Patrik Laine

Los Angeles Kings projected lineup

Left Wing
Centre
Right Wing

Artemiy Panarin
Anze Kopitar
Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore
Alex Turcotte
Alex Laferrière

Mathieu Joseph
Scott Laughton
Jared Wright

Jeff Mallott
Samuel Helenius
Taylor Ward

Left Defence
Right Defence

Mikey Anderson
Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson
Brandt Clarke

Brian Dumoulin
Cody Ceci

Starter
Backup

Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg