On Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to treat their home crowd to an exhibition of the replacement-level players in the organization. The Montreal Canadiens countered with a few NHLers sprinkled among the bubble players, and Artturi Lehkonen and Charles Hudon performed as they would be expected to in such a contest, scoring three of the game’s six total goals in a 5-1 win. For the game at the Bell Centre tonight, the Leafs have brought all of their star players together (at least those not the subject of trade talks) for the first time as they get set to solidify the roster. Lines will be centred by Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri, as well as the top free-agent signee from the off-season, John Tavares, who will probably be given a very warm welcome by the Canadiens’ faithful. Montreal will also be dressing most of its players who will be on the ice when these two teams meet on opening night one week from now. The forwards have been performing very well so far in the pre-season, and it will be interesting to see how they are able to perform against a lineup with All-Stars pivoting the top two lines. The one to watch will be Jesperi Kotkaniemi, as he plays his fifth tune-up game and looks to hold his own versus what could be the top offensive club in the league this season. Puck drop is at 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT How to watch In the Canadiens region: TSN2, TSN Direct (English) RDS, RDS Direct (French) In the Leafs region: TSN4, TSN Direct (English) In the US: NHL Network Elsewhere: NHL.tv/Rogers NHL Live Montreal Canadiens projected lineup Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Left Wing Centre Right Wing #90 Tomas Tatar #24 Phillip Danault #11 Brendan Gallagher #92 Jonathan Drouin #15 Jesperi Kotkaniemi #62 Artturi Lehkonen #47 Kenny Agostino #14 Tomas Plekanec #41 Paul Byron #43 Michael Chaput #25 Jacob de la Rose #38 Nikita Scherbak Defencemen Left Defence Right Defence Left Defence Right Defence #28 Mikey Reilly #26 Jeff Petry #53 Victor Mete #58 Noah Juulsen #8 Jordie Benn #21 David Schlemko Goaltenders Goaltenders Goaltenders #31 Carey Price #39 Charlie Lindgren Toronto Maple Leafs projected lineup Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Left Wing Centre Right Wing Patrick Marleau Auston Matthews Tyler Ennis Trevor Moore John Tavares Mitch Marner Josh Leivo Nazem Kadri Connor Brown Andreas Johnsson Par Lindholm Kasperi Kapanen Defencemen Left Defence Right Defence Left Defence Right Defence Morgan Rielly Ron Hainsey Jake Gardiner Nikita Zaitsev Calle Rosen Igor Ozhiganov<doc-sep>Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki are back in the lineup for the Montreal Canadiens as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Scotiabank Arena. Here is the full lineup: Voici l’alignement des Canadiens pour le match de ce soir contre les Maple Leafs à Toronto. Here is the Canadiens' lineup for tonight's game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/hWRIxbwk3C — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 24, 2018 This seems to be an audition for several players. Matthew Peca, Michael Chaput, Hunter Shinkaruk, Kenny Agostino, Jacob de la Rose, and Byron Froese are all battling for the few forward spots that remain. This could be some of their last games before the Canadiens need to make decisions on waivers. On defence, Karl Alzner and Xavier Ouellet lead the way. Rinat Valiev, Michal Moravčik, Brett Lernout and Simon Desprès are also battling out for a roster spot as this game will provide a look at most defencemen battling for a spot. The Canadiens have three games remaining after tonight, and have yet to place any players on waivers. The team still has 43 players at their NHL camp. We will have a full game thread later today.<doc-sep>When: 7:00 p.m. Where: Detroit Why: $$$$$ How to watch: Sportsnet main channel, and Fox Sports Detroit By about mid-point of the first preseason game every year, I’m tired of two things: preseason hockey and people carrying on about how meaningless those games are. Too many people utter the words small sample size in ways that annoy me when talking about exhibition play. The gist seems to be that if the player you like is good, then his results are valid, but if the player you like is bad, then it’s a small sample size and it means nothing. It’s not true that these games mean nothing. They just mean different things to different players. In last night’s thumping of the semi-real Red Wings, I had a strong sense of déjà vu while being really underwhelmed by Morgan Rielly. I’m pretty sure I was underwhelmed by him last year in training camp. And Ron Hainsey is so, so bad. Well, no. He’s been okay most of the time, but Ron Hainsey, I feel safe in saying, does not care about preseason hockey other than to get a look at any new forwards to see their quirks. For the wingers playing musical chairs this season for one less regular lineup spot than there are bodies, this preseason is very important. William Nylander is going to bust in and kick one of them into the press box, and I can’t tell you who I’d pick as the loser right now. Josh Leivo has impressed in two games and looked competent, but not thrilling in the others, and that’s his issue to overcome. Don’t look at his points. I assure you, the process-oriented coaching staff aren’t. Look at what level of play he sustains over the course of all the games. I cracked a joke last night about somebody else that goes like this: If you take his peak and pretend that’s his average, he’s way better. That’s a perfect description of Kerby Rychel. If you watched him in the AHL, on his hot days, man, was he something. All you had to do was pretend he’d do that all the time, and you had an NHLer. He passed waivers to the AHL early this preseason by the way. I don’t know if that’s also Josh Leivo. But if you think what he’s been doing on the ice in this preseason is remotely similar to his play last season, I don’t know what to tell you. And while he’s done things that are exciting at times, I still keep coming back to that small sample of Corsi results that had him the worst offensive pace on the team for forwards. He’s a more worthy winger than Frederik Gauthier, at any rate. Nearly anyone is. But I’m not at all sure when the music stops, he won’t be the guy back in the press box. I can’t avoid it any longer, speaking of Gauthier, how about this lineup? #Leafs lines at morning skate (at Detroit tonight): Greening- -Engvall Clark-Brooks-Moore Timashov-Jooris-Clune Grundstrom-Cracknell-Bracco Marincin-Carrick Rosen-Holl Borgman-LoVerde McElhinney Sparks — Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) September 29, 2018 Gauthier is the only player from last night’s game on this roster. If last night was meant to be his last chance to impress. He didn’t. This has to be his last, last, last chance before the Leafs decide what to do with him. Wow, it’s amazing what being a first round draft pick who can take faceoffs gets you. If you watch this game, and at this point, this game is a write off by the Leafs who have carefully stocked their team with AHLers who meet the minimum veteran rule, so I don’t know why you would, the only real question is are you seeing the last game in a Leafs jersey for Connor Carrick. A rumour by a source who is a little bit unproven, but might be connected, stated the Leafs are shopping Carrick. They’d be silly not to be if they really have decided Igor Ozhiganov and Justin Holl are better bets. Right-shooting defenders with NHL experience aren’t freely available, but the thing the Leafs did was pay Carrick like he was more than just a depth extra, and that makes him harder to trade. Corsi aside, he hasn’t made a case for that depth job on the Leafs, and if Borgman and Rosen hadn’t flamed out harder, he’d really look bad. He’s a third-rate PP shooter who can’t PK. He has no offensive upside, and he has one skill. That skill is puck carrying, and people love that, so he passes a lot of eye-tests, and he helps the transition which is important. And is anyone else reminded of Martin Marincin here? They’re very different players, but their results tick the same sorts of boxes and leave too many others empty. Marincin seems to know his offensive limitations, and he dishes the puck off fast, whereas Carrick, who has a good hockey brain, seems to think he can execute whatever plan he thinks up. His body disagrees, it seems. At $1.3 million and an RFA with arbitration rights next summer, Carrick is not a bargain third-pairing guy. The Leafs did make $200,000 of that signing bonuses, so he’s not as cash expensive, but he is cap hit expensive. If they waived him, Ottawa would snap him up in a heartbeat, so I don’t think he’s going that route. But I’m having trouble imagining why anyone benefits form him sitting in the press box again all season. No matter which winger ends up where or who makes the Leafs third pair on opening night, there is no guarantee that that roster will be the same as the roster come game #11. One thing the Leafs and Babcock are very consistent on is that training camp is only stage one of evaluation for the season. Changes can happen. And it will be interesting to see if players who came out hot can keep that up. Tyler Ennis is laying down some physically demanding play, and he hasn’t played a full season in a while.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Canadiens Notebook: Jesperi Kotkaniemi back in lineup vs. Maple Leafs Canadiens Notebook: Jesperi Kotkaniemi back in lineup vs. Maple Leafs Jonathan Drouin gets the night off Monday in Toronto with Michael Chaput taking his spot at left wing on Kotkaniemi's line. Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette Article content Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be back in the Canadiens’ lineup when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night in NHL pre-season action (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), but he won’t have Jonathan Drouin on his left wing. Drouin will get the night off in Toronto and Michael Chaput will take his spot with Kotkaniemi at centre and Joel Armia on the right wing. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canadiens Notebook: Jesperi Kotkaniemi back in lineup vs. Maple Leafs Back to video “You’re looking at certain guys right now,” coach Claude Julien said after practice as the Canadiens head into their final week of training camp. “Chaput is playing again tonight. He’s in our lineup with some pretty decent players. He’s had a good camp, so we’re not writing him off. We’re keeping him here.” The Canadiens signed the 6-foot-2, 204-pound Chaput as a free agent on July 1. Last season the Île Bizard native posted 17-25-42 totals in 55 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets and was pointless in nine games with the Vancouver Canucks. The Philadelphia Flyers selected Chaput in the third round (89th overall) at the 2010 NHL Draft. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The players who will take part in Monday night’s game practised at 10:45 a.m. Monday in Brossard before heading to the airport for a 3 p.m. flight to Toronto. They will return home immediately after the game, expected to arrive in Montreal at 12:40 a.m. Here's #Habs lineup for tonight's game in Toronto vs. @MapleLeafs (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, @TSN690 Radio) #HabsIO: pic.twitter.com/FcCM6Uz7SI — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) September 24, 2018 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Finnish Connection on power play The Canadiens’ first power-play unit against the Maple Leafs Monday night will have Kotkaniemi at centre between fellow Finns Artturi Lehkonen and Armia up front with Rinat Valiev and Charles Hudon on the point. “I’m sure he’ll understand the words that are being yelled at him tonight to get the puck to him or to get open,” Julien said about Kotkaniemi playing with his fellow countrymen. “It’s not done purposely,” the coach added. “I think it’s done with the purpose of putting the best power play together and there’s no doubt it makes it a lot easier for a guy like (Kotkaniemi) when he’s around comfortable guys, but that wasn’t the priority in the power-play makeup.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The lines Here’s a look at how the Canadiens’ lines and defence pairings were set up at Monday morning’s practice: Hudon – Peca – Lehkonen Chaput – Kotkaniemi – Armia de la Rose – Suzuki – Scherbak Shinkaruk – Froese – Agostino Alzner – Després Ouellet – Lernout Valiev – Moravcik Niemi Lindgren We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Niemi to play full game for Habs Julien said goalie Antti Niemi will get a chance to play the full 60 minutes against the Maple Leafs Monday night. The Canadiens signed the 35-year-old Finnish goalie to a one-year, US$950,000 one-way contract this summer after he posted a 7-5-4 record with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage as Carey Price’s backup last season. Charlie Lindgren will be Niemi’s backup in Toronto. The 24-year-old Lindgren is heading into the first season of a three-year, US$2.25 million contract that is a one-way deal and averages $750,000 per season whether he plays with the Canadiens or the AHL’s Laval Rocket. While it seems that Niemi has a solid lock on the backup job behind Price again this season, Julien said after practice Monday that’s not necessarily so. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “We’ve never written Charlie off,” Julien said about Lindgren. “When I say (Niemi’s) got the edge we’ve got a goaltender that last year had not the greatest year (Lindgren). Not a bad year, but he’s still a young goaltender that can play a lot if he goes down to the minors. But if he’s here with our team, it’s because he deserves to be here and he’s ready to be here.” Lindgren posted a 8-19-2 record last season in Laval along with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage. With the Canadiens, he had a 4-8-2 record with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. “Niemi, obviously, is a different case,” Julien said about the battle for a backup spot. “He’s a veteran player. Last year, I thought he played really well for us. So when you say the edge, you’re going by how it finished last year. This is a new season and when the decision to put 23 men on your roster is being taken we’ll have to really look at it closely.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Homecoming for Suzuki Monday’s game will be a bit of a homecoming for Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki, who is from London, Ont.<doc-sep>
The Montreal Canadiens released their lineup for tonight’s game at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Voici l’alignement pour le match de ce soir contre les Maple Leafs de Toronto. The lineup for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/n4qpBoyyIi — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 26, 2018 Jesperi Kotkaniemi will get another long look, and with Jonathan Drouin drawing back in the lineup, you can expect Kotkaniemi to play with Drouin. The Canadiens second line of Phillip Danault, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar will also come back into the lineup as the Canadiens are looking to put together their NHL roster. It also looks like an NHL defence tonight as Jeff Petry, Victor Mete, Noah Juulsen, Jordie Benn, Mike Reilly and David Schlemko make up the blue line tonight. It is an opportunity for Benn and Schlemko to fight back against the emergence of Xavier Ouellet. Karl Alzner is listed above, but will not play tonight. #Habs vs #Leafs: Drouin - Kotkaniemi - Lehkoenn Tatar - Danault - Gallagher Agostino - Plekanec - Byron Chaput - De La Rose - Scherbak Reilly - Petry Benn - Schlemko Mete - Juulsen Price Lindgren — John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) September 26, 2018 Up front, Kenny Agostino and Michael Chaput get a chance to claim a spot on the opening night roster as does Jacob de la Rose. Carey Price will likely play the whole game as Charlie Lindgren backs him up. We will have a full game thread later today.