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Montreal Canadiens: Previewing the Habs Preseason Opener vs the Devils

By Ryan Praught |
VANCOUVER, CANADA - DECEMBER 5: Josh Anderson #17 is congratulated by Jake Evans #71 Juraj Slafkovsky #20 Jordan Harris #54 and Arber Xhekaj #72 of the Montréal Canadiens after scoring a goal against Collin Delia #60 of the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on December 5, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 7-6. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, CANADA - DECEMBER 5: Josh Anderson #17 is congratulated by Jake Evans #71 Juraj Slafkovsky #20 Jordan Harris #54 and Arber Xhekaj #72 of the Montréal Canadiens after scoring a goal against Collin Delia #60 of the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on December 5, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 7-6. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

There’s no better feeling in the world than hockey coming back into our regularly scheduled program, and it’s about that time again. The Canadiens open their preseason schedule Monday night versus the New Jersey Devils. It is their first of six preseason games before opening their season on October 11th in Toronto.

While it may just be a preseason game, I expect the Bell Centre to be buzzing, with the return of the Canadiens. The turnout for an intrasquad scrimmage rivalled that of most NHL team’s atmosphere during the regular season. Fans will want to see some of the young talent the Canadiens have amassed during the rebuild.

The Canadiens are icing a few NHL regulars, but there’s also a good mix of young prospects trying to prove themselves to management. Alex Newhook will centre Josh Anderson and Juraj Slafkovsky on the first line, giving fans a great look at the newly acquired forward.

Meanwhile, the Guhle-Reinbacher pairing gives fans a glimpse at a potential pairing of the future. All eyes will be on those two and how they fare against a New Jersey squad with loads of talent. Sam Montembeault will get the start, but I’d bet he only plays half the game before Jakub Dobes takes over.

Speaking of New Jersey, the Devils actually play two games tonight, one in Montreal and one in New Jersey. Still, the Devils elected to send star forward Jack Hughes to Montreal tonight, along with former Canadien Tyler Toffoli.

Simon Nemec, the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, behind fellow Slovak Slafkovsky, will also be making the trip and will play against his good friend. With Hughes making the trip, it should be a good test for the Guhle-Reinbacher pairing.

Of course, the score doesn’t really matter, but the Canadiens want to see a good performance from this group, especially the young players. The final roster is not set, and the Habs would like to have to make some tough decisions on the final roster.

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