Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens game preview: line-up notes, key match-ups and what the numbers say about Monday night in Montreal

The Bell Centre ice will be busy on Monday night when the Columbus Blue Jackets roll into town for the second half of a back-to-back set against the Montreal Canadiens. Both clubs arrive at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum: the Jackets are coming off a wild 6-5 overtime loss in Ottawa less than 24 hours earlier, while the Canadiens have been sitting in Quebec since Saturday, sharpening details after a hard-earned 4-3 shoot-out win over Seattle. With Atlantic and Metropolitan seeding still a jigsaw puzzle in mid-November, the Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens game preview carries extra weight for two organizations trying to stay inside the playoff cut-line before American Thanksgiving.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and RDS, the first of three meetings this season between the clubs. Montreal took the 2023-24 series 2-1, but Columbus left Canada with a 4-3 victory last March thanks to a Kent Johnson hat-trick. Expect a similarly tight chess match this time around—especially if special teams decide the outcome.

Team form and what the standings hide ahead of Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens

Montreal enters at 9-7-2, good for 20 points and the second wild-card spot in the East. The record looks pedestrian until you notice the Canadiens are 6-2-1 at home, have scored first in eight of their last ten, and are getting league-average goaltending (.908 Sv% at 5-on-5) for the first time since Carey Price’s heyday. Head coach Martin St. Louis has shortened his bench in the third period all season, a wrinkle that has helped the Habs own the final frame (24 goals for, 15 against).

Columbus, meanwhile, is 7-8-2 and stuck on 16 points—four shy of the last playoff berth. The Jackets have played only five home games so far, the fewest in the NHL, so every road point is precious. Their underlying metrics are sneaky-good: 53.1 expected-goals share, 52.4 shot-attempt percentage, and the fourth-best power-play in the league clicking at 28.3%. The problem is a 5-7 record in one-goal games and a penalty kill that has allowed at least one goal in seven straight. Fatigue will be a factor tonight; coach Pascal Vincent admitted after Sunday’s loss that “we’ll manage minutes” for his top defense pair of Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov.

Projected line-ups and injury updates for Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens (projected)

Forwards Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky Gallagher – Newhook – Armia Harvey-Pinard – Dvorak – Anderson Pezzetta – Evans – Mysak

Defense Matheson – Savard Guhle – Kovacevic Struble – Barron

Goalie Jake Allen (starter) Sam Montembeault

Notes: Kirby Dach (knee) and Brendan Gallagher (lower-body maintenance) skated in red jerseys Monday morning; only Gallagher is expected to draw in. Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson was sent to Laval for more minutes, so veteran David Savard stays on the top pair.

Columbus Blue Jackets (projected)

Forwards Johnson – Fantilli – Marchenko Chinakhov – Jenner – Nyquist Robinson – Kuraly – Dumais Greer – Roslovic – Olivier

Defense Werenski – Provorov Gavrikov – Severson Christiansen – Peeke

Goalie Elvis Merzlikins (second half of back-to-back) Daniil Tarasov

Notes: Adam Fantilli left Sunday’s game after blocking a shot but told reporters “it’s just a bruise—I’m good to go.” Yegor Chinakhov was promoted to the second line after scoring twice in Ottawa. Because Merzlikins played 65 minutes Sunday, expect Tarasov to be ready at the first sign of fatigue.

Key on-ice match-ups that could swing Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens

1. Suzuki vs Fantilli – The 24-year-old Montreal captain (9-12-21) has already taken 96 face-offs in the third period this season, winning 56%. Fantilli, the 19-year-old Calder favorite, is 52% on draws but only 44% in the defensive zone. Whoever wins the possession battle here will dictate line changes and last-change leverage for St. Louis.

2. Columbus power-play vs Montreal penalty kill – The Jackets’ top unit (Werenski at the bumper, Johnson on the half-wall) is 7-for-17 over the last five games. The Canadiens’ kill has slipped to 76% at home, and they will be without their best shot-blocker (Dach). Watch for Suzuki and Evans to sacrifice the body; if they can force Werenski to pass, Montreal can counter-attack with speed.

3. Merzlikins rebound control – Elvis faced 41 shots Sunday and allowed five goals with an .878 Sv%. The Bell Centre crowd is notorious for long rebounds that turn into secondary chances. If the Latvian goalie kicks pucks into the slot, Slafkovsky (6’4”, 238 lbs) has the wingspan to bury them.

Advanced stats and betting angles for Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens

• Montreal is 8-3 straight-up when leading after the first period; Columbus is 1-6 when trailing after 20 minutes.
• The under has hit in four of the last five Habs home games (average total 5.4).
• The Jackets are 6-1 on the puck line as a road underdog of +150 or more.
• According to MoneyPuck, Montreal’s even-strength finishing talent ranks 29th (6.8 shooting %), while Columbus sits 7th (9.4 %). Translation: if the game stays at 5-on-5, the Jackets have the better shooters; if it gets special-teams heavy, the ice tilts back toward the Canadiens.

What the coaches said ahead of Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens

Martin St. Louis on managing rest vs rhythm:
“We haven’t played since Saturday, so we’ll have jump early. The key is not to watch them fly around and absorb punches. We want to punch first.”

Pascal Vincent on the quick turnaround:
“We’ll keep shifts under 40 seconds, roll four lines, and if we have to use our timeout in the first period to get breaths, we’ll do it. Points in November count the same as March.”

Fantasy focus and sleeper picks for Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens

Daily fantasy players should consider:

• Cole Caufield – Five goals in his last six home games, averaging 4.2 shots per night.
• Kent Johnson – Has points in five straight (3-5-8) and shoots from the right circle where Jake Allen’s glove hand has been vulnerable.
• David Savard – Leads Montreal defenders in blocked shots (41) and is $4,200 on DraftKings, a bargain if Columbus peppers 35+ shots.
• Adam Fantilli – Still priced like a rookie ($5,100) but sees 2:43 of power-play time and centers the Jackets’ hottest even-strength line.

Final forecast and what the result means for the standings

Expect a one-goal game that hinges on which team wins the special-teams battle. Montreal’s fresher legs and last-change advantage should generate the first push, yet Columbus has the superior finishing talent and a power-play that can erase a deficit in 89 seconds. If the Jackets can survive the opening 10 minutes without trailing, their depth and pace become problematic for a Canadiens club that has only three third-period comebacks all year.

A regulation win vaults Montreal to 22 points and keeps them ahead of Detroit for the final wild-card berth. A Columbus victory pulls the Jackets even with Pittsburgh and Washington in the Metro mosh pit and plants a road seed of confidence before they finally head home for a five-game homestand. Whatever happens, the Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens game preview will look different by Tuesday morning—either because the Habs have fortified their playoff cushion, or because the Jackets have reminded the league that their young core is ready to steal points even on tired legs.