Engstrom's NHL Debut Highlights Habs vs. Mammoth Showdown

The Montreal Canadiens (11-7-3) are set to face the Utah Mammoth (12-8-3), with the puck drop scheduled for 9:30 pm ET.

The last time these two teams met, the Habs emerged with a 6-2 win, but much has changed since November 6. The Canadiens went on to lose five consecutive games, a streak that only ended once the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs arrived in town on Saturday.

Starting Goaltender, Engstrom Debut

It’s fair to say November hasn’t been overly kind the Canadiens, with losses and injuries piling up at an alarming rate. The good news is that rookie Jakub Dobes found his rhythm versus the Maple Leafs, saving 24 of the 26 shots sent his way.

Dobes will be called upon to make the start on Wednesday night, playing behind a newcomer, defenceman Adam Engstrom. He was named the Player Of The Week in the AHL before his promotion to the NHL, and will indeed make his NHL debut versus the Mammoth, featuring on the third pairing alongside Alex Carrier.

When we evaluated the best possible landing spot for Engstrom, we came to the conclusion that the third pairing did not fit his playing style, and that an assignment in the top-four would make more sense, but head coach Martin St-Louis likely wanted to limit his ice time so that he could acclimatize to the choppy waters of NHL hockey.

Arber Xhekaj is the player St-Louis had decided to send to the press box to watch the game as a healthy scratch.

As for Alexandre Texier, he practiced on the third line, but for the time being, it seems he’ll have to wait a little longer before making his Canadiens debut.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc

Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov

Florian Xhekaj – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson/Alexandre Texier*

Jared Davidson – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson

Jayden Struble – Lane Hutson

Adam Engstrom – Alexandre Carrier

Jakub Dobes

Utah Mammoth Projected Lineup

Clayton Keller — Barrett Hayton — Nick Schmaltz

Kailer Yamamoto — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther

JJ Peterka — Jack McBain — Lawson Crouse

Michael Carcone — Kevin Stenlund — Brandon Tanev

Mikhail Sergachev — Nick DeSimone

Nate Schmidt — John Marino

Ian Cole — Dmitri Simashev

Karel Vejmelka

How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Mammoth

The Montreal Canadiens versus the Utah Mammoth, Saturday, Wednesday 26, 2025, will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.

Related Headlines

• NBA Rumors Link Warriors and Bulls to New Names In Blockbuster Trades

• Merab Dvalishvili Pushes for Jon Jones to Headline UFC White House Card

• WWE Legend Wants Extreme Rules Dream Match With Rhea Ripley?