NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals - Source: Imagn — Looking at the Montreal Canadiens projected lines for tonight's game against the Washington Capitals (Image credit: Imagn)

Canadiens lineup tonight: Montreal’s projected lineup for Game 3 against Washington Capitals | Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round 1, April 25, 2025

Modified Apr 25, 2025 15:26 GMT

Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens will look to pick up a much-needed win in Game 3 after going down 0-2 to Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Following a narrow loss in Game 1, the Habs came up short in Game 2 on Wednesday. The Habs need a win to avoid a potential closeout game on their home ice in Game 4.

Throughout the regular season, Montreal has impressed at home, posting a 23-12-6 record at the Bell Centre. Given that a loss tonight would put their back up against the wall, the Habs will look to find the back of the net early after being outscored 6-3 throughout the first two games.

Montreal Canadiens projected lines

Note: Lines subject to change

Forwards

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky
Josh Anderson - Christian Dvorak - Brendan Gallagher
Patrik Laine - Alex Newhook - Joel Armia
Emil Heineman - Jake Evans - Ivan Demidov

Defense

Mike Matheson - Alexandre Carrier
Kaiden Guhle - Lane Hutson
Jayden Struble - David Savard

Goalies

Sam Montembeault
Jakub Dobes

Powerplay

Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Patrik Laine, Lane Hutson
Brendan Gallagher, Nick Suzuki, Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov, Mike Matheson

Penalty Kill

Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier
Nick Suzuki, Josh Anderson, Kaiden Guhle, David Savard

Odds for Game 3 tonight between the Capitals and the Canadiens

While the Montreal Canadiens have performed well at home this season, after losing back-to-back games to the Washington Capitals in this series, the team is sitting as slight betting underdogs on most major sportsbooks.

At the time of publication, on both FanDuel and DraftKings, Washington is a -120 favorite while Montreal is a +100 underdog. Meanwhile, on BallyBet, Washington is a -122 favorite while the Habs are +102 underdogs.

Based on the latest FanDuel lines, it would take a $120 bet on the Capitals to win $100 (on top of the original bet). On the flip side, a $100 bet, or any bet, on the Habs would double with a Canadiens win.

Following tonight's Game 3 action in Montreal, the two sides will be back in action again on Sunday for Game 4. If a Game 5 is needed, the series will return to Washington for a potential closeout game in The District on Wednesday, Apr. 30.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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