Tue, Dec 22, 7:00 p.m. ET · All games
MTL at CBJ
Montréal Canadiens at Columbus Blue Jackets. Preview from the model, the licensed feeds and last season's measures. Nothing here is a betting recommendation.
- Model now
- Expected score
- Market
- —
- Venue
- Nationwide Arena
Pre-game price · not yet frozen
What the model says now
Lineups not yet published: each club's usual lineup assumed. Starting goalie not confirmed: goaltending held at league average. This estimate moves until the ledger freezes it before puck drop.
Source: CapOrCup game model (derived from club ratings, rest and starters)
Schedule spot
What the schedule did to each side
Nights off, back-to-backs, third games in four nights, road-trip position and travel since the last game, from the statistical schedule. Shown as facts; rest is in the price, travel is not.
2 nights off · game 3 of a road trip · 1000 km since the last game, 1 time zone · rest advantage
second of a back-to-back · third game in four nights · rest disadvantage
Starters · depth chart 2026-10-12
In goal
The league names no starter before puck drop. First on each club's depth chart, from the licensed feed, is the expected starter.
Jacob Fowler
Jet Greaves
Projected lineups · Sportradar NHL API v7, team depth charts · as of 2026-10-12
Expected lines
What each club intends per the feed's depth chart, with each forward's shooter rating (Elo, against the goalies faced last season). A listing is the club's statement, not a game sheet.
Montréal Canadiens
L1 Cole Caufield (top tenth of the league) · Nick Suzuki (above the league middle) · Juraj Slafkovský (above the league middle)
L2 Chris Kreider (below the league middle) · Alex Newhook (top tenth of the league) · Josh Anderson (below the league middle)
L3 Zachary Bolduc (below the league middle) · Phillip Danault (bottom tenth of the league) · Alexandre Texier (above the league middle)
D1 Lane Hutson (above the league middle) · Noah Dobson (above the league middle)
D2 Mike Matheson (above the league middle) · Kaiden Guhle (below the league middle)
PP1 Chris Kreider (below the league middle) · Nick Suzuki (above the league middle) · Juraj Slafkovský (above the league middle) · Cole Caufield (top tenth of the league) · Lane Hutson (above the league middle)
Columbus Blue Jackets
L1 Matthew Knies (below the league middle) · Adam Fantilli (below the league middle) · Kent Johnson (bottom tenth of the league)
L2 Valeri Nichushkin (bottom tenth of the league) · Sean Monahan (below the league middle) · Dmitri Voronkov (above the league middle)
L3 Cole Sillinger (bottom tenth of the league) · Charlie Coyle (below the league middle) · Mathieu Olivier (above the league middle)
D1 Zach Werenski (top tenth of the league) · Damon Severson (above the league middle)
D2 Carson Soucy (above the league middle) · Denton Mateychuk (top tenth of the league)
PP1 Matthew Knies (below the league middle) · Charlie Coyle (below the league middle) · Adam Fantilli (below the league middle) · Kent Johnson (bottom tenth of the league) · Zach Werenski (top tenth of the league)
Injury listings · as of 2026-10-18
Who the clubs list as out
Club-announced listings relayed by the licensed feed. No cause is inferred; Day To Day players are shown but not counted as out.
Montréal Canadiens
Mike Matheson (D): Day To Day (lower-body), listed since 2026-10-13, expected back 2026-10-17
Bryce Pickford (D): Out (undisclosed), listed since 2026-09-29, expected back 2026-10-31
Florian Xhekaj (LW): Out (lower-body), listed since 2026-10-10, expected back 2026-10-31
Ivan Demidov (RW): Out (lower-body), listed since 2026-10-03, expected back 2026-10-31
Lucas Condotta (LW): Out (undisclosed), listed since 2026-09-30, expected back 2026-10-31
Samuel Montembeault (G): Out (lower-body), listed since 2026-10-07, expected back 2026-10-20
Columbus Blue Jackets
Caleb MacDonald (D): Out (lower-body), listed since 2026-09-23, expected back 2026-11-03
Dante Fabbro (D): Out (upper-body), listed since 2026-09-25, expected back 2026-11-03
Isac Lundestrom (C): Out (achilles), listed since 2026-09-25, expected back 2026-12-03
Ivan Provorov (D): Out (lower-body), listed since 2026-09-30, expected back 2026-10-18
Officials
Who has the whistle
Named by the league, usually near puck drop. Each referee's record is from last season's play-by-play penalties; ranks are distance from league norms.
Not on file (the league has not named the officials yet)