Pregame: Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Martin St-Louis and his men will be travelling to Toronto today for a tilt with the Maple Leafs in their third pre-season game. Two pre-season games in, the Montreal Canadiens have outscored their opponents 8-0, but they’ve yet to face a team featuring prominent NHL players.

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Just like the Habs, the Leafs have played two pre-season games, but unlike them, they’ve lost both. On Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena, Craig Berube iced a nearly complete side featuring Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Max Domi, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Matt Murray and Joseph Woll, plus former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty who’s currently on a professional tryout but they lost 6-5 in overtime to a far from complete Ottawa Senators side.

On Tuesday night in Ottawa, Berube sent a young side to battle with Easton Cowan and Matthew Knies leading the charge, and they lost 2-1 to a superior Ottawa side led by captain Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle.

Tonight’s Leafs lineup includes most of their big guns, aside from Auston Matthews who left practice in Tuesday even though Berube downplayed the injury concern and Joseph Woll who should be their starter come season start. Two former Canadiens be sporting the blue and white tonight in Pacioretty and Domi.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens will be icing a very young lineup, both in front and at the blueline:

Emil Heineman-Christian Dvorak- Alex Newhook

Joshua Roy- Oliver Kapanen- Joel Armia

Alex Barre-Boulet-Owen Beck-Riley Kidney

Luke Tuck-Brandon Gignac-Mike Pezzetta

Lane Hutson-Justin Barron

Arber Xhekaj-Adam Engstrom

Jayden Struble-David Reinbacher

Jakub Dobes

Connor Hughes

Xhekaj, at 23 years old will be the eldest defenseman in the lineup tonight, when it was pointed out to him during the media scrum he replied:

I was actually telling Mike Matheson I’m only 23 and I’m the third eldest defenseman on the team right now.

On what kind of game he needs to play, Xhekaj was very realistic when he said:

Yeah that’s what (his defensive game) is going to keep me in the NHL, we’ve got Hutson, Matheson and guys like that for the offensive part of the game. So that’s (focus on defense) what I need to be to stay in the league.

Oliver Kapanen briefly explained what helped him make a difference at camp by what he did in Sweden for weeks before coming over:

I had 6 weeks in Sweden before camp and I had 6 very hard games. I was well prepared for camp, I had a lot confidence coming in.

On the injury front, Kaiden Guhle was out on the ice alone in Brossard this morning for the first time since his appendectomy, he’s on the mend but a bit more patience will be required and he will be reevaluated on a daily basis. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET in Toronto.