Canadiens vs. Predators: Game thread, rosters, lines, and how to watch

Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PSTIn Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East (English), TVA Sports (French)In the Predators region: Bally Sports SouthStreaming: ESPN+, NHL Live, Sportsnet Now

In a season full of low points, it’s difficult to set a new standard for poor play, but the Canadiens may have achieved that in a 6-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. There was only a handful of players on the ice who looked prepared to play a hockey game, and most of them were the most inexperienced members of the squad.

Dominique Ducharme decided that was enough of that, so tonight he’s removing one of those young players from the lineup. Michael Pezzetta exits the formation for the first time since his recall, and by the reports from earlier today, if the coach can’t have quality on defence, he’s going to go for quantity, inserting Chris Wideman back in for what could be an 11-forward, seven-defenceman setup.

The task for that group is to match up with a strong defensive team that also features a top-end group of offensive stars. If they’re not up to that challenge, it will be a fifth consecutive loss, and, for all intents and purposes, a very early start to preparations for next season.