Red Wings at Canadiens: Notes, Lines, Goalies, How to Watch

After a horrific March, the Detroit Red Wings have a chance to salvage their playoff hopes tonight.

All they have to do is win at Montreal. It won’t get them in, but a win would put them just four points behind Montreal with five games remaining. The Wings have a game in hand on the Canadiens, and would need to win that game, too.

Montreal has won five in a row, and the setting at the Bell Centre likely will be a playoff atmosphere as the Canadiens look to solidify their spot in the playoff race.

“It’s a big game,” Dylan Larlkin said Monday. “Our season is on the line. We put ourselves in that position, whether good or bad. We’re going into a huge game where we have to win, and that’s exciting.”

Cam Talbot will again be in goal, where he has shone for the Wings in wins over Carolina and Florida the past two starts.

The Red Wings were in a similar situation at the end of last season, only to come up short.

The Wings have tightened up on defense since a 4-3 loss to Ottawa on March 27.

“We gave up a l0t of outnumbered rushes,” Larkin said. “We’ve really focused on that, and it hasn’t taken away fron our offense too much.”

The Red Wings are, effectively, in playoff mode right now. After tonight, they make a final Florida road trip to play the Lightning and Panthers, then finish with Dallas, New Jersey and Toronto.

But those games will be all but meaningless if they can’t win tonight.

The Matchup

Who: Red Wings vs. Canadiens

Where: Bell Centre, Montreal

When: 7 p.m.

TV/Radio:  Fan Duel/97.1 FM

Detroit Projected Lines

DeBrincat – Larkin – Kane

Rasmussen – Kasper – Raymond

Berggren – Compher – Tarasenko

Smith  – Motte – Soderblom

Defensive Pairings

Chiarot – Seider

Edvinsson – Petry

Johansson – Holl

Goalies

Talbot

Lyon

Montreal Projected Lines

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky

Laine – Newhook – Kapanen

Anderson – Dvorak – Gallagher

Pezzetta – Evans – Armia

Defensive Pairings

Matheson – Carrier

Guhle – Hutson

Struble –  Xhekaj

Goalies

Montembeault

Dobes