Montreal Canadiens Line Matchups
2026-27 · 1-0-1 · 3 pts · 2nd Atlantic
How the Canadiens match lines at 5-on-5: who they send against the other team's top line, how hard they match at home, where they change last, versus on the road, and which players carry the toughest minutes. This is the Last-Change Fingerprint.
- With last change at home, the Canadiens are a middle-of-the-pack line matcher (14th of 32 by matching intensity).
- At home their top line sees the other team's top line 1.18× as often as random mixing: power against power.
- The top pair is the shutdown pair at home: 1.14× random mixing against top lines.
- They match lines at least as hard on the road as at home (intensity 0.07 vs 0.07), changing on the fly to get their matchups.
From the last 30 home and 30 road games with shift data (this season and last), as of Oct 4, 2026. Ratios are shrunk toward 1.00 for small samples.
At home: with last change
| Canadiens | Opp Line 1 | Opp Line 2 | Opp Line 3 | Opp Line 4 | Opp Pair 1 | Opp Pair 2 | Opp Pair 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | 1.18 | 1.01 | 0.91 | 0.81 | 1.07 | 1.00 | 0.90 |
| Line 2 | 1.03 | 1.02 | 1.01 | 0.91 | 1.00 | 1.04 | 0.95 |
| Line 3 | 0.90 | 0.97 | 1.06 | 1.12 | 0.96 | 0.98 | 1.08 |
| Line 4 | 0.81 | 1.00 | 1.03 | 1.22 | 0.96 | 0.98 | 1.11 |
| Pair 1 | 1.14 | 1.01 | 0.90 | 0.90 | 1.02 | 1.03 | 0.92 |
| Pair 2 | 1.00 | 1.04 | 1.01 | 0.96 | 1.00 | 0.99 | 0.99 |
| Pair 3 | 0.78 | 0.94 | 1.15 | 1.22 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 1.12 |
On the road
| Canadiens | Opp Line 1 | Opp Line 2 | Opp Line 3 | Opp Line 4 | Opp Pair 1 | Opp Pair 2 | Opp Pair 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 0.96 | 0.72 | 1.03 | 1.08 | 0.85 |
| Line 2 | 1.01 | 0.98 | 1.05 | 0.93 | 1.05 | 0.95 | 0.99 |
| Line 3 | 0.91 | 0.95 | 1.01 | 1.19 | 0.95 | 0.99 | 1.10 |
| Line 4 | 0.96 | 0.92 | 0.95 | 1.21 | 0.97 | 0.97 | 1.11 |
| Pair 1 | 1.05 | 1.04 | 0.98 | 0.91 | 1.02 | 0.98 | 0.98 |
| Pair 2 | 1.07 | 1.02 | 0.98 | 0.91 | 1.04 | 0.98 | 0.95 |
| Pair 3 | 0.81 | 0.91 | 1.09 | 1.32 | 0.91 | 1.03 | 1.09 |
Player competition
Each skater's 5v5 time against each of the opponent's units, as a ratio to random mixing, over his recent games (both venues). Above 1.00 against L1 and P1: he draws top competition.
| Player | Role | GP | Opp L1 | Opp L2 | Opp L3 | Opp L4 | Opp P1 | Opp P2 | Opp P3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Suzuki | Line 1 · 16.3 min | 40 | 1.19 | 1.13 | 0.92 | 0.56 | 1.09 | 1.09 | 0.74 |
| Cole Caufield | Line 1 · 14.3 min | 40 | 1.17 | 1.15 | 0.93 | 0.55 | 1.11 | 1.07 | 0.75 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | Line 1 · 14.1 min | 40 | 1.15 | 1.14 | 0.96 | 0.54 | 1.09 | 1.08 | 0.78 |
| Jake Evans | Line 2 · 13.2 min | 40 | 0.96 | 1.07 | 0.98 | 0.99 | 1.01 | 0.93 | 1.07 |
| Ivan Demidov | Line 2 · 13.0 min | 40 | 0.98 | 0.94 | 1.12 | 0.95 | 0.98 | 1.04 | 0.98 |
| Alex Newhook | Line 2 · 12.9 min | 40 | 0.99 | 0.94 | 1.11 | 0.95 | 0.95 | 1.04 | 1.04 |
| Chris Kreider | Line 3 · 12.0 min | 2 | 1.13 | 0.88 | 0.92 | 1.10 | 1.00 | 0.92 | 1.12 |
| Phillip Danault | Line 3 · 11.7 min | 40 | 0.89 | 0.90 | 0.95 | 1.45 | 0.98 | 0.93 | 1.12 |
| Josh Anderson | Line 3 · 11.7 min | 40 | 0.97 | 1.02 | 0.86 | 1.21 | 1.02 | 0.90 | 1.10 |
| Alexandre Texier | Line 4 · 10.3 min | 40 | 1.01 | 1.03 | 0.96 | 0.98 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 1.06 |
| Zachary Bolduc | Line 4 · 10.0 min | 40 | 0.90 | 0.94 | 1.05 | 1.18 | 0.92 | 0.98 | 1.17 |
| Kirby Dach | Line 4 · 9.2 min | 40 | 0.98 | 0.89 | 1.01 | 1.18 | 0.93 | 1.02 | 1.11 |
| Lane Hutson | Pair 1 · 20.1 min | 40 | 0.92 | 1.05 | 1.07 | 0.99 | 0.96 | 1.06 | 0.94 |
| Mike Matheson | Pair 1 · 19.1 min | 40 | 1.21 | 1.06 | 0.85 | 0.73 | 1.09 | 0.95 | 0.93 |
| Noah Dobson | Pair 2 · 17.9 min | 40 | 1.08 | 1.04 | 0.94 | 0.88 | 1.03 | 1.01 | 0.93 |
| Alexandre Carrier | Pair 2 · 15.7 min | 40 | 1.03 | 0.98 | 1.01 | 0.98 | 1.04 | 0.98 | 0.96 |
| Jayden Struble | Pair 3 · 12.5 min | 40 | 0.83 | 0.88 | 1.11 | 1.36 | 0.89 | 1.00 | 1.16 |
| Arber Xhekaj | Pair 3 · 9.0 min | 40 | 0.59 | 0.74 | 1.29 | 1.76 | 0.84 | 0.99 | 1.27 |
Every game tonight
These habits drive the Matchup Forecast. It projects which line and pair each player faces tonight, for every game. Also see the Canadiens line combinations and the methodology.
FAQ
Who do the Canadiens match against the other team's top line?
At home, with last change, the Canadiens' pair 1 (D) sees top lines 1.14× as often as random mixing, and among depth forwards line 2 gets the most top-line minutes (1.03×). The full grid and each player's numbers are on this page.
What is a Last-Change Fingerprint?
It's a coach's line-matching habit, measured from shift charts. Each cell compares the 5-on-5 time one of his units spent against one of the opponent's units with what it would have been if he ignored matchups. 1.00× is random mixing, above it is a matchup he seeks, below it one he avoids. It's measured separately at home, where the home coach changes last, and on the road.
How do the Canadiens' matchups affect fantasy hockey?
A forward who regularly draws the other team's top line and top pair faces tougher competition than his raw numbers suggest. A sheltered line gets softer minutes. Tonight's Matchup Forecast applies these habits to each game's projected lineups.