Jacob Fowler will start in goal for the Canadiens on Saturday at the Bell Centre against the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m., SNE, TVA Sports) while forward Oliver Kapanen and defenceman David Reinbacher will make their season debuts.

Fowler has a 2-1-0 record this season, along with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

Kapanen missed the first seven games this season with a lower-body injury after posting 22-15-37 totals as a rookie last season while playing in all 82 games. He will take Owen Beck’s spot in the lineup and play on a line with Kirby Dach and Jake Evans.

Two hockey players skate during a pre-game warmup. Canadiens’ Oliver Kapanen (91) and teammate David Reinbacher (64) take part in warmups in their regular season debut in a game against the Buffalo Sabres in Montreal on Saturday. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette

Reinbacher was called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Wednesday after posting 0-2-2 totals in four games but didn’t get in the lineup that night in Washington. The Capitals won that game 5-4 with goalie Jakub Dobes allowing five goals on 24 shots, dropping his record to 1-2-1 with a 4.63 GAA and a .842 save percentage. Reinbacher will take Adam Engstrom’s spot in the lineup and be paired with Arber Xhekaj. Defenceman Mike Matheson will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury.

“It’s great to be back,” Kapanen told reporters after taking part in Saturday’s optional morning skate at the Bell Centre. “It’s hard to watch games in the stands and you can’t play and can’t skate. So it feels good to be back on the ice. … It feels good now and I’m ready to play.

“It’s hard,” Kapanen added about missing the start of the season. “You were healthy at (training camp) and when the season starts you get a little bit injured and you can’t do much about it. But I’m excited to be back.”

This will be the second game in five days between the Canadiens and Sabres at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens won 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday night with Fowler stopping 13 of the 16 shots he faced.

The Canadiens and Sabres will meet two more times this season with both games in Buffalo on Dec. 18 and Jan. 18.

x.com/StuCowan1

Editor’s Picks