The Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10) will face the New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) on Sunday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
This is the second leg of back-to-back games in which both teams have managed to secure at least one point in the first matchup. The Canadiens jumped out to a 3–0 lead, but the Devils battled back into the game to force it into a shootout, where first-year players Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen scored for the Habs.
Cole Caulfield also scored, but only in the shootout, meaning the Bell Center faithful will have a chance to celebrate his 50th goal.
It's also important to note that the Canadiens can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday. If they beat the Devils again, they will make it on their own, however, if the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Minnesota Wild they will officially qualify as well. The Habs only have 32 regulation wins, which is why the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently below them in the Atlantic Division standings, have already qualified.
Simply put, it's only a matter of time before the Canadiens punch their ticket to the springtime dance for the second consecutive season, quite an accomplishment when we consider they finished last in the league in 2021-22.
Lineup Changes
Given that the team did not practice on Sunday, any lineup changes will be confirmed when the Canadiens take the ice for pregame warm-ups.
That being said, the Habs are expected to give rookie netminder Jacob Fowler the start on Sunday, as his first-year counterpart Jacob Dobbs faced the Devils on Saturday night.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Coffield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkowski
Alex Newhook - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson
Joe Veleno - Philip Danault - Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson
Jaden Struble- Lane Hutson
Caden Guhle - Arbor Zekaj
jacob fowler
New Jersey Devils Projected Lineup
Timo Meyer - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Jasper Bratt - Jack Hughes - Connor Brown
Lenny Haminaho - Cody Glass - Nick Bjugstad
Evgeny Dadonov - Paul Couture - Maxim Tsyplyakov
Jonas Seigenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes - Jonathan Kovacevic
Brendan Dillon - Simon Nemec
jacob markstrom
How to watch Hubs Vs. the devil
Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 5, 2026, will be broadcast on TSN2 and RDS. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.
