Canadiens Vs Ducks Preview: Ducks Look to Keep Rolling at Honda Center
The canadiens vs ducks matchup tips off at Honda Center with puck drop set for 6 p. m. PT (9 p. m. ET), and Anaheim will try to extend a hot stretch that has pushed the team into playoff contention.
Anaheim (34-24-3) returns home after routing the New York Islanders 5-1 on Wednesday, a victory that marked the Ducks' sixth win in seven games and left them second in the Pacific Division, one point behind Vegas. Cutter Gauthier scored his 31st goal and became the first player in franchise history to score five consecutive team goals; Beckett Sennecke added his 20th goal, tying a rookie scoring mark noted in the matchup notes. Dostal will start in net for Anaheim tonight.
Canadiens Vs Ducks: Game time, broadcast and key absences
Puck drop is set for 6 p. m. PT (9 p. m. ET) at Honda Center and the game will air locally on KCOP-13 and stream on Victory+. John Carlson, acquired by Anaheim before the deadline and listed with 10 goals and 36 assists in 55 games this season, will not be available for tonight’s game. Montreal enters Anaheim after a 5-7 loss to the San Jose Sharks and holds the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
What to watch: offense, roster moves and streaks
Anaheim’s recent surge has been driven by scoring depth and timely contributions: Gauthier’s 31 goals and Sennecke’s 20th are concrete examples of the Ducks’ boost up the standings. The team also extended Ryan Poehling to a four-year contract and added veteran defenseman John Carlson at the deadline; the Ducks moved veteran forward Ryan Strome to Calgary in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Montreal (33-18-9) will counter with a lineup that features Nick Suzuki leading the club with 50 assists and 69 points, and Cole Caufield pacing the squad with 35 goals. Alex Newhook has a three-game point streak (2G, 2A) entering this meeting. Montreal’s recent 5-7 loss left the Habs clinging to that wild-card position as they continue a California road swing.
Coach Joel Quenneville framed the deadline moves as a shift from prior seasons, saying the club is pushing to make the playoffs and adding that Carlson brings experience and steady play. Defenseman Radko Gudas highlighted Carlson’s vision on the power play and his ability to log big minutes without losing composure.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season; the schedule lists the next matchup in Montreal on Sunday, March 15. Anaheim’s current stretch — six wins in seven — gives the Ducks a concrete short-term goal: protect home ice and keep climbing in the Pacific Division, where each win directly affects their standing relative to Vegas.
With Dostal back in goal for Anaheim and Montreal hoping to regain form after Tuesday’s loss, the immediate outcome of tonight’s game will shape both clubs’ positioning heading into the final weeks before the deadline and the playoff push. The teams meet next in Montreal on March 15, which remains the next confirmed rendezvous on the schedule.
