The Montreal Canadiens (45-22-10) will face the Florida Panthers (37-37-3) on Tuesday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
This will be the third and final time these teams face each other this year, with the Canadiens currently holding a 2–0 lead in games won. They defeated the Panthers 3–2 in late December, as well as 6–2 in early January, however, it should be noted that veteran netminder Samuel Montebault started both games.
He is no longer considered a starter in Montreal, having been taken over by the more promising play of rookie netminders Jacob Fowler and Jacob Dobbs.
Given that Fowler started Sunday night's game against the New Jersey Devils, we're expecting his counterpart to face the Panthers on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old Dobbs is on a five-game winning streak with his last loss coming on March 19 against the Detroit Red Wings. It's also worth noting that he has stopped 171 out of 179 shots in the last five games.
As for the Panthers, they will have to make do without Matthew Tkachuk, who will be with his wife as they await the birth of their child.
Lineup Changes
It's likely we'll see some significant lineup changes for the Canadiens, as both Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier are very close to returning to action. According to Anthony Martino, they will be in uniform, which will force head coach Martin St-Louis to make some important roster decisions before puck drop.
I'm told Texier and Dach will indeed return to the game this evening.
- Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) 7 April 2026
I've also heard that we should expect significant movement on the 2-3-4 trio.
12:08 pm What I am telling you is the reality.
Obviously, no one is safe from changes between now and the match.… pic.twitter.com/asvp7xEH7G
Dach played on the first line for a spell, but it's unlikely St.-Louis will want to break up one of the best trios in the NHL again. There is a legitimate possibility that he will place Dach in the second row, although it remains to be seen whether it will be on the wing or in the centre.
If Saint-Louis wants to use Dach as a winger, there is a chance that Alex Newhook could be moved from the second row, although this would be a difficult decision to accept as he has been playing quite well since recovering from his ankle injury.
As for Texier, if he plays, he will likely be slotted into a bottom six role, with Joe Velano and Brendan Gallagher being the players who will likely make way for his presence.
Ideally, the pairing of Zach Bolduc and Jake Evans remains intact, as it has been one of Montreal's best combinations during their push for the playoffs.
We will update the projected Canadiens lineup with new information as it becomes available.
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 dobbs
Florida Panthers projected lineup
Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk*
Macky Samoskevich - Eitu Luostarinen - AJ Greer
Noah Gregor - Tomas Nosek - Jesper Boqvist
Cole Reinhardt - Luke Kunin - Cole Schwindt
Gustav Forsling - Seth Jones
Donovan Sebrango - Mike Benning
Tobias Bjornfot - Mikuláš Hovorka
Daniel Tarasov
How to watch Hubs Vs. panthers
Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, will be broadcast on TSN2 and RDS. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.
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