The Montreal Canadiens are set to host the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre on Wednesday evening in their first home game of 2026. Rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler will start in net for Montreal, as confirmed by head coach Martin St. Louis following the morning skate. Both teams have adjusted their lineups due to injuries and a debut for Calgary's William Stromgren.
The game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and broadcast on RDS and SN, pits the Flames (18-20-4) against the Canadiens (23-13-6). Montreal held a full morning skate at the Bell Centre, where the lines and defense pairings aligned with projections from NHL.com staff and correspondents.
For the Canadiens, the forward lines include Cole Caufield with Nick Suzuki and Alexandre Texier on the top unit, followed by Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov; Zachary Bolduc, Phillip Danault, and Josh Anderson; and Sammy Blais, Joe Veleno, and Brendan Gallagher. On defense, pairings are Mike Matheson with Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson with Alexandre Carrier, and Arber Xhekaj with Jayden Struble. Jacob Fowler will tend goal, backed up by Jakub Dobes. Scratches are Owen Beck, Sam Montembeault, and Adam Engstrom. Injuries sideline Kirby Dach (broken foot), Alex Newhook (broken ankle), Kaiden Guhle (lower body), Patrik Laine (lower body), and Jake Evans (lower body). Guhle participated in the skate but will not play; he first practiced with the team since his October 18 injury. St. Louis noted, “It’s coming along. I’m not sure if it will be this week or next week, but he’s getting close.”
The Flames' projected forwards feature Yegor Sharangovich, Nazem Kadri, and Joel Farabee up top, with Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost, and Adam Klapka; Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund, and Matt Coronato; and Ryan Lomberg, Justin Kirkland, and William Stromgren. Defense pairs Kevin Bahl with Rasmus Andersson, Yan Kuznetsov with Mackenzie Weegar, and Joel Hanley with Brayden Pachal. Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley are the goalies. Scratches include Hunter Brzustewicz and Connor Zary, while Jake Bean (undisclosed), Samuel Honzek (upper body), Martin Pospisil (undisclosed), and John Beecher (upper body) are injured. Stromgren, recalled from the AHL's Calgary team on Monday, will make his NHL debut, though coach Ryan Huska did not specify who would sit out.
This matchup highlights both teams' efforts to integrate young talent amid injury challenges, with Montreal starting Family Week at the Bell Centre.