Canadiens and Maple Leafs flip script for Saturday night matchup

The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs faced off on Thursday night with a lopsided roster matchup. The Leafs dressed the majority of their opening night lineup, while the Canadiens had one full of prospects and younger players. It's a common occurrence in the preseason, and it looks like they will switch it up in Saturday night's game with the Canadiens being the host. Montreal's projected lineup could be the one we see on October 9 when these teams play in the season opener. However, the Maple Leafs will take one more look at some of their fringe players and leave the stars at home.

There is still some room for the Canadiens to make some switches before the season opener. It's important not to rule out Oliver Kapanen making the team, and the de facto fourth line through camp of Brendan Gallagher, Jake Evans, and Joel Armia will sit in the press box tonight. The defensive pairs are interesting, as David Reinbacher being on the first pairing could be where Kaiden Guhle slots in on opening night. With the belief that Reinbachers starts the season in Laval and Guhle being played on his off-side before, this would make the most sense. Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux have played their way onto the roster through camp, but Justin Barron could also factor in for Mailloux on opening night.

The Leafs will dress a significantly weaker lineup. It is likely Easton Cowan and Alex Nylander's last chance to earn a spot out of camp, but their chances are currently looking slim. It's no surprise that the Leafs are taking a cautious approach, as John Tavares and William Nylander were both banged up in Thursday night's game.