The Montreal Canadiens kick off the resumption of their season with an exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the Stanley Cup Qualifier.
In nine hours, the countdown clock we’ve had going since the beginning of training camp will hit zero. It’s a shame that it’s taken four months for the Montreal Canadiens to suit up for their next game, but there’s been a lot that has happened between then and now. The Habs are now in their Toronto bubble and ready to get a taste of hockey before their Stanley Cup Qualifier series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NHL decided to have all of these exhibition games involve rivalry teams to up the pace and intensity. It starts with the Penguins taking on the Flyers and ends with the Edmonton Oilers facing the Calgary Flames. And in the middle of it all, the Habs and the Leafs meet for the fourth time this season.
There aren’t going to be any surprises as far as the lineup goes if you’ve been following along with what’s been going on at training camp.
Montreal Canadiens Lineup
Forwards
Tatar-Danault-Gallagher
Drouin-Suzuki-Armia
Lehkonen-Kotkaniemi-Byron
Weal-Domi-Weise
Defence
Chiarot-Weber
Kulak-Petry
Ouellet-Mete
Goaltenders
Price
Lindgren
Claude Julien does have the option to add to the lineup a little more before puck drop.
#Habs Julien says he can ice an extra forward and defenceman Tuesday vs Toronto, so the assessment process for his game roster on August 1 will continue for another 4 days.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNWpg) July 27, 2020
Two players will get an opportunity at another look, the question is who?
Julien has been consistent with giving players he trusts more looks over the inexperienced, which makes sense given the confounds of the situation. This could see Ryan Poehling get the nod. He has more NHL games between himself Jake Evans and Alex Belzile, and there’s also the elephant in the room in the form of Poheling’s hat-trick NHL debut against the Leafs at the end of last season.
It could be a little more tricky on the backend. Familiarity’s sake could see Cale Fleury get the nod, but Noah Juulsen has been making strides in his return from injury. The Habs also shouldn’t forget how steady of a player he was before health issues got in the way, and they could use this as a means to see how he fairs against NHL competition again.
This isn’t going to be like a normal exhibition game. The Habs only have this one test before they take on the Pens, and they want to make the most of it.
#Habs Byron: Execution and intensity will be key points of emphasis because they won't have 6-8 exhibition games to get up to game speed, admitting that, "It's gonna be a bit of a cluster in the first period" against Toronto on Tuesday.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNWpg) July 27, 2020
As for the Leafs, they’re running the same lineup with one addition in 2019 second-round pick Nick Robertson. Toronto signed him the left-winger to an entry-level contract giving him a legitimate opportunity to make the team.
Toronto Maple Leafs Lineup
Forward
Nylander-Matthews-Hyman
Mikheyev-Tavares-Marner
Robertson-Kerfoot-Kapanen
Clifford-Engvall-Spezza
Defence
Muzzin-Holl
Rielly-Ceci
Dermott-Barrie
Goaltenders
Andersen
Campbell
It is just an exhibition game, but the Montreal Canadiens only have one. The first period will be messy, while at some point, the team will need to come together and start playing their style.