Montreal Canadiens News

Beck made his season debut with Montreal last week, playing two games and averaging 7:23 time-on-ice. The 22-year-old forward was the 33rd-overall pick of the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Reinbacher made his season debut with Montreal last week, playing 9:09 on ice and recording a -1 plus/minus. The 21-year-old defenseman was the fifth-overall pick of the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Adam Engstrom will return to Montreal's lineup on Tuesday, and Reinbacher will be a healthy scratch. Reinbacher, the fifth-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, made his season debut in Montreal's previous game, playing 9:09 on ice and recording a -1 plus/minus.

David Reinbacher will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Engstrom to re-enter the lineup. The 22-year-old Engstrom is averaging 11:01 time-on-ice and has zero points in four games this season.

After a breakout 2025-26 season that continued with an impressive postseason run, Dobes has struggled early in 2026-27. The 25-year-old Czech goalie has allowed five or more goals in three of four games, giving Jacob Fowler more action in recent weeks. Dobes has an ugly 4.63 GAA and .842 SV% in four games (1-2-1). Still, the Canadiens enter Tuesday's contest as significant -202 home favourites over a San Jose Sharks team coming off a 3-1 loss last night to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After a breakout 2025-26 season that continued with an impressive postseason run, Dobes has struggled early in 2026-27. The 25-year-old Czech goalie has allowed five or more goals in three of four games, giving Jacob Fowler more action in recent weeks. Dobes has an ugly 4.63 GAA and .842 SV% in four games (1-2-1). Still, the Canadiens enter Tuesday's contest as significant -202 home favourites over a San Jose Sharks team coming off a 3-1 loss last night to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Slafkovsky was not on the ice for Friday's practice session, but head coach Martin St. Louis said that he will play Saturday vs. the Sabres. Slafkovsky's absence was classified as a therapy day, so he should be available without limitation on Saturday. He enters play with just three points (1G / 2A) in seven games this season.

Kapanen, who has yet to play a game this season, was a full participant on Friday, a sign that he'll be ready to make his season debut soon. He skated as a placeholder for Juraj Slafkovsky in the session, so it doesn't look like he'll play Saturday vs. Buffalo, so expect him to get in a couple of practices fore returning to the lineup.

Xhekaj has been sidelined for the past week and will remain there for at least two more due to a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old Xhekaj is averaging 7:36 time-on-ice and has a -4 plus/minus in two games this season.

Matheson did not play on Tuesday and will miss at least one more game with a lower-body injury. The 32-year-old defenseman is averaging 24:09 time-on-ice and has one assist in five games this season. The Canadiens recalled defenseman David Reinbacher from Laval (AHL) in a corresponding move.

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Reinbacher fifth overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The promising young defenseman played two games with the Canadiens last season, recording an assist, but has otherwise played exclusively in the AHL. The 21-year-old scored 24 points (5G / 19A) in 57 games with Laval (AHL) last season.

Beck was recalled from Laval (AHL) earlier this week and will suit up for his season debut with the Canadiens on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 22-year-old forward played 15 games with Montreal last season, averaging 9:11 time-on-ice and scoring one goal.

The Canadiens have relied exclusively on Jacob Fowler between the pipes for their last three games, but they will turn to Dobes on Wednesday for his first start in over a week. Dobes struggled in his most recent game, allowing five goals on 32 shots (.844 SV%) in a 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 25-year-old Czech goalie is coming off an impressive postseason run and earned a three-year deal worth $5,357,575 AAV ($16.073M total), but he has had an ugly start to the 2026-27 season, posting a 4.43 GAA and .856 SV% in three games (1-1-1). The Canadiens enter Wednesday's contest as +108 road underdogs against a Washington Capitals team on a two-game losing streak (0-2-0).

Matheson played 23:01 time-on-ice in Montreal's previous game, but he is battling a lower-body injury and will not play on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 32-year-old defenseman is averaging 24:09 time-on-ice and has one assist in five games this season.

Samuel Montembeault's disastrous 2025-26 season, which led to a demotion to the AHL, thrust Fowler into NHL action, but Montembeault started the 2026-27 season with the Canadiens, so Fowler played with Laval (AHL). That said, an early-season injury to Montembeault has given Fowler an NHL opportunity, and he has thrived in a small early-season sample. The 21-year-old Fowler stopped all 30 shots in his most recent outing, recording a shutout in a 1-0 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens enter Tuesday's contest as -153 home favourites against a Buffalo Sabres team that improved to 3-3-0 yesterday after defeating the Florida Panthers 5-3.