Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 24 February, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Montréal Canadiens at Anaheim Ducks: game preview

Puck drop27 Feb · 7:00 PM ET
VenueHonda Center
All-time meetings46 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Montréal finished last season 6th in the league on 106 points. Anaheim finished 18th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 47

Across 46 completed games, Anaheim lead the head-to-head 26-15-5.

All-time record26-15-5Anaheim's record in the series
Meetings played46This is number 47
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Anaheim
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
15 Mar 2026ANA 4 – MTL 3——ANA
6 Mar 2026MTL 5 – ANA 6 SO——ANA
2 Feb 2025MTL 2 – ANA 3——ANA
9 Dec 2024ANA 2 – MTL 3 SO——MTL
13 Feb 2024ANA 0 – MTL 5——MTL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMontréalAnaheim
6 Mar 202628-17-7 · 63 pts9th28-22-3 · 59 pts15th
15 Mar 202636-20-10 · 82 pts7th37-27-3 · 77 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 6 Mar 2026, Montréal were 9th in the league and Anaheim 15th. By 15 Mar 2026 it was 7th and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Montréal out-attempted Anaheim 129 to 123

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

Montréal Canadiens

129 att · 58 on goal · 8 G · 13.8%
Crease14 att · 0 G
Slot46 att · 4 G
Wing55 att · 4 G
Point12 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Anaheim Ducks

123 att · 61 on goal · 9 G · 14.8%
Crease9 att · 2 G
Slot44 att · 4 G
Wing51 att · 1 G
Point15 att · 2 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Anaheim have created the better 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.

MontréalAnaheim
2.61xG for per game2.19
3.61xG against per game3.49
42.0%xG share38.6%
+4.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.0

This season: 3 games for Montréal, 2 for Anaheim. 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 meetings—
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 meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 24 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 26 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Feb

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

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Feb

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.8 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

15 Mar 20267 · ANA 4–3 MTL
6 Mar 202611 · MTL 5–6 ANA
2 Feb 20255 · MTL 2–3 ANA
9 Dec 20245 · ANA 2–3 MTL
13 Feb 20245 · ANA 0–5 MTL

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
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51

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 suggest6.8Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov
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).

1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

Injury report
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

Updated after every final