Early look · NHL 2026-27

Montréal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

MontréalCanadiens2026-27: 1-1-1 · 3 pts · 2025-26: 48-24-10 · 106 pts · 6that

DetroitRed Wings2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 41-31-10 · 92 pts · 16th

Puck drop20 Mar · 12:30 PM ET

VenueLittle Caesars Arena

All-time meetings661 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Montréal finished last season 6th in the league on 106 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went DET 2-1-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 662

Across 661 completed games, Montréal lead the head-to-head 373-270-18.

All-time record373-270-18Montréal's record in the series

Meetings played661This is number 662

2025-26 seriesDET 2-1-0

Last 53-2Detroit

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

19 Mar 2026MTL 1 – DET 333–28MTL 1/2 · DET 0/2DET

10 Jan 2026DET 4 – MTL 024–27DET 1/5 · MTL 0/1DET

9 Oct 2025MTL 5 – DET 117–31MTL 1/3 · DET 1/4MTL

8 Apr 2025DET 1 – MTL 436–21DET 0/3 · MTL 0/2MTL

23 Jan 2025MTL 2 – DET 429–45MTL 0/3 · DET 1/4DET

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMontréalDetroit

9 Oct 20251-1-0 · 2 pts14th0-1-0 · 0 pts30th

10 Jan 202625-14-6 · 56 pts7th27-15-4 · 58 pts5th

19 Mar 202637-21-10 · 84 pts8th38-23-8 · 84 pts10th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Oct 2025, Montréal were 14th in the league and Detroit 30th. By 19 Mar 2026 it was 8th and 10th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Detroit out-attempted Montréal 324 to 276

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Montréal Canadiens

276 att · 127 on goal · 12 G · 9.4%

Crease13 att · 1 G

Slot97 att · 7 G

Wing109 att · 1 G

Point52 att · 2 G

Neutral zone5 att · 1 G

Detroit Red Wings

324 att · 164 on goal · 13 G · 7.9%

Crease23 att · 4 G

Slot115 att · 7 G

Wing125 att · 2 G

Point52 att · 0 G

Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Montréal and Detroit are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

MontréalDetroit

2.61xG for per game3.23

3.61xG against per game2.85

42.0%xG share53.1%

+4.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7

−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

This season: 3 games for Montréal, 3 for Detroit. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Montréal

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2710.0%

Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th

Power play · last 5 meetings2/11 · 18.2%

Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178

Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings11 (2.20/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings2

Detroit

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2725.0%

Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th

Power play · last 5 meetings3/18 · 16.7%

Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181

Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings18 (3.60/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Skaters

Alex DeBrincat has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

93Alex DeBrincat534723

71Dylan Larkin442620

14Nick Suzuki51458

7Brendan Gallagher51455

18Andrew Copp43148

53Moritz Seider504413

88Patrick Kane40447

13Cole Caufield512317

8Mike Matheson512314

20Juraj Slafkovský520210

Head-to-head finder

Alex DeBrincat vs Montréal · game by game

See all: Alex DeBrincat vs Montréal · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

19 Mar 2026home123419:11

10 Jan 2026away123316:56

9 Oct 2025home000519:02

8 Apr 2025away000619:04

23 Jan 2025home101517:42

Last 5 meetings7 P3 G, 4 A · 23 SOG

Next best6 PDylan Larkin, DET

2026-27 season4 P3 GP · 2 G

Blank vs MTL2 of 5

Full game log

Goaltending

John Gibson has started most of these meetings

John Gibson played 3 of the last 5 meetings with Montréal, with a .918 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Montréal

Expected starter after their game on 18 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Detroit

Expected starter after their game on 18 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Mar

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

Two goalies used against Detroit

#vs DETAppsSAGASV%

75Jakub Dobes2583.948

35Samuel Montembeault2815.938

John Gibson

See all: John Gibson →

DET · 1-2-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Mar

SV% · 2026-27.9033 GP · 2.38 GAA · 2025-26 .901

vs Montréal.9183 app · 73 SA · 6 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+0.43 starts · most on the roster

vs MTLVenueSAGASV%

19 Mar 2026home331.970

10 Jan 2026away2701.000

9 Oct 2025home135.615

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

19 Mar 20264 · MTL 1–3 DET

10 Jan 20264 · DET 4–0 MTL

9 Oct 20256 · MTL 5–1 DET

8 Apr 20255 · DET 1–4 MTL

23 Jan 20256 · MTL 2–4 DET

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

Montréal4.004.673.453.12

Detroit2.332.672.943.15

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

12 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct

Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct

Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct

J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct

Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct

Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report

Montréal · 2026 draft

See all: Montréal · 2026 draft →

#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW

#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD

#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD

#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD

Full draft

Detroit · 2026 draft

See all: Detroit · 2026 draft →

#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW

#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW

#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG

#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC

Full draft

Saturday 20 March · the full slate

See all: Saturday 20 March · the full slate →

12:30 PM ET

MTLat

DETThis game 1:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Montréal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Fourteen points apart last season

Meeting number 662

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Detroit out-attempted Montréal 324 to 276

Montréal Canadiens

Detroit Red Wings

Montréal and Detroit are level on chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Montréal

Detroit

Alex DeBrincat has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Alex DeBrincat vs Montréal · game by game

John Gibson has started most of these meetings

Montréal crease

John Gibson

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

12 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Detroit · injuries

Latest moves

Montréal · 2026 draft

Detroit · 2026 draft

Saturday 20 March · the full slate