Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT)
Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
TV: BN+ / STLNHL (Blues), TSN2 / RDS (Canadiens); available on ESPN+ in many markets
This interconference matchup pits a surging Montreal side on a two-game winning streak and strong recent road form against a St. Louis team looking to rebound from a 4-0 home shutout loss to Carolina. The Canadiens (14 points) sit solidly in the Atlantic Division, while the Blues (11 points) are in the middle of the Central pack during a five-game homestand.
Current Player Rosters & Projected Lineups
Montreal Canadiens (projected):
Forwards: Cole Caufield – Oliver Kapanen – Juraj Slafkovsky; Alexandre Texier – Phillip Danault – Zachary Bolduc; Chris Kreider – Alex Newhook – Josh Anderson; Kirby Dach – Jake Evans – Florian Xhekaj.
Defense: Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson; Mike Matheson – Alexandre Carrier; Kaiden Guhle – Arber Xhekaj (or Adam Engstrom in some updates).
Goalies: Jacob Fowler (expected/hot hand, third straight start in some reports) / Jakub Dobes. Scratches typically include Adam Engstrom and Owen Beck. Cole Caufield leads the scoring (strong goal totals), with Lane Hutson contributing offensively from the blue line.
St. Louis Blues (projected):
Forwards: Dylan Holloway – Robert Thomas – Jimmy Snuggerud; Connor McMichael – Mason McTavish – Jonatan Berggren; Jake Neighbours – Dalibor Dvorsky – Pavel Buchnevich; Alexey Toropchenko – Pius Suter – Aleksanteri Kaskimaki.
Defense: Philip Broberg – Brandon Carlo; Cam Fowler – Colton Parayko; Justin Barron – Adam Jiricek.
Goalies: Jordan Binnington (returning to the net after a stretch; first start since mid-October in reports) / Joel Hofer. Alexey Toropchenko returns from a shoulder injury (missed ~10 games) and slots into the bottom six for physicality and forechecking. Scratches include Otto Stenberg and Quinton Burns. Robert Thomas, Mason McTavish, and Dylan Holloway anchor the offense.
Listed Injury Reports
Canadiens:
Nick Suzuki (C): Out (upper body; expected mid-November, ~2–4 weeks from late October).
Samuel Montembeault (G): Out/IR (lower body).
Ivan Demidov (RW/F): Out/IR (lower body).
Additional depth: Lucas Condotta, Bryce Pickford (undisclosed/IR-NR in reports).
Blues:
Tyler Tucker (D): Out (knee).
Logan Mailloux (D): Out (hand).
Dillon Dube (C/F): Out (neck).
Ross Johnston (LW): Out (lower body; some reports note eligibility but unlikely).
Longer-term: Torey Krug (ankle/IR-LT).
Toropchenko is activated and expected to play.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Cole Caufield / Juraj Slafkovsky / Oliver Kapanen vs. Philip Broberg / Brandon Carlo or Cam Fowler / Colton Parayko: Montreal’s top scoring line against St. Louis’ top defensive pairs. Caufield’s shot release and Slafkovsky’s size/playmaking will test the Blues’ structure.
Robert Thomas / Dylan Holloway / Jimmy Snuggerud vs. Lane Hutson / Noah Dobson: St. Louis’ top unit against Montreal’s mobile, offensive-minded top pair. Hutson’s transition game and Dobson’s two-way play are key.
Mason McTavish / Connor McMichael line vs. secondary Canadiens defense (Matheson/Carrier or Guhle): McTavish’s scoring touch and physicality against Montreal’s depth.
Goaltending – Jacob Fowler (hot early: strong GAA/SV% in limited starts) vs. Jordan Binnington: Fowler has been excellent in recent outings for Montreal. Binnington returns seeking consistency.
Special teams: Blues hold a clear PP edge (~24% vs. Canadiens’ ~12.5%). Both PKs are solid (~82–83%). Faceoffs favor Montreal.
Recent Team Forms
Canadiens (6-3-2): Strong recent stretch with wins over Chicago (4-1) and Winnipeg (2-1 in the Heritage Classic). Point streak in recent games; solid road form (including 3-1-1 or better in some tallies). Averaging ~3.09 GF/G. Defense and goaltending have tightened lately.
Blues (5-5-1): Mixed results on the homestand—wins over Vegas and Winnipeg mixed with a shutout loss to Carolina. Capable of high-output games (4+ goals in several contests) but inconsistent. Averaging ~3.18 GF/G and GA/G. Home record solid early.
Series History
First meeting of the 2026-27 season. St. Louis swept the prior season series (outscoring Montreal) and has been strong at home against the Canadiens in recent years (e.g., multiple home wins, solid PK trends in head-to-heads). Games have often been competitive.
Betting Trends
Montreal’s recent defensive improvement and road success support value on the Canadiens. St. Louis’ home ice and PP advantage keep them competitive. Unders have appeal given tighter recent games for Montreal and Binnington’s return.
Game Odds
Montreal Canadiens – 117
St. Louis Blues 6
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, October 26, 2026
