The Montreal Canadiens now only have 26 games left to their season, and while it would be surprising if the team managed to get back in the playoffs mix, it can still make a statement that it has improved from last season.
Martin St-Louis’ men finished last season with 76 points; this year, they have 55. If they were to win all remaining games (which would be an incredible twist), they’d finish the season with 107 points. If they won half of their remaining games, they’d finish the year with 81 points, a five-point increase. It wouldn’t be that much, but every little helps, as Tesco adverts say in England.
The quest for a higher point total resumes Saturday night as the Habs visit the Ottawa Senators. The two sides have only met once since the beginning of the season, a 4-1 Montreal win, and the host hopes to tie the season series Saturday. They’ll meet again on March 12 in Montreal and April 11 in Ottawa.
After enjoying a day off on Thursday, the Canadiens were back on the Bell Center ice on Friday morning. Emil Heineman was back with his teammates, wearing a standard jersey that suggests he’s ready to return. However, the Habs wouldn’t confirm it and said they would have an update on Saturday morning.
St-Louis had gone back to the lines that were so efficient for him before Heineman’s injury. In case you forgot during the break, those were the lines when the Canadiens had their unbelievable run at the end of December and the start of the new year:
- Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky
- Alex Newhook-Kirby Dach-Patrik Laine
- Brendan Gallagher-Christian Dvorak-Josh Anderson
- Emil Heineman-Jake Evans-Joel Armia
Questioned on his lines, the bench boss replied:
It was a formula we were comfortable with during our most successful time of the season. Does it guarantee we’ll achieve the same success now? No, it doesn’t, but it puts us in a comfortable place where we know it has worked in the past. If Emil can play, that’s how I would like to start.-
As for the pairings, they were as follows on Friday morning:
- Mike Matheson-Alexandre Carrier
- Lane Hutson-David Savard
- Arber Xhekaj-Jayden Struble
So far, it looks like Owen Beck and Logan Mailloux will be staying in Laval, but should trades occur before the deadline, they’ll be the first call-ups.
The coach has already said Samuel Montembeault would be in the net. Even though the Canadiens’ starter didn’t play a game in the 4 Nations Face-Off, St-Louis feels he saw plenty of ice in practice and will be able to hit the ground running. The Bécancour native was in net for the October 4-1 win and had made 24 saves on 25 shots for a .960 save percentage. However, that’s his sole win against the divisional rivals; he’s lost his other three games against them and has a 3.33 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.
There’s no word yet on who will be in the net for the Senators. Linus Ullmark, who played for Sweden at the 4 Nations, has a 3-2-0 record against the Habs with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .890 SP. Backup Anton Forsberg is 6-0-0 against the visitors, with a 2.82 GAA and a .921 SP.
Up front, the Sens might just be what Laine needs to get back in the swing of things. In 13 tilts, he has six goals and eight assists for a total of 14 points. Gallagher leads the team with 24 points in 45 games against Ottawa, followed by Suzuki with 16 points in 26 games and Matheson with 13 points in 23 games. Sniper Caufield and rookie blueliner Hutson had two points in the last duel.
The Canadiens will want to keep a close eye on Claude Giroux. While he’s no Spring chicken, the winger still plays on the Sens’ top line, and he has 38 points in 48 matches against Montreal. He’s followed by captain Brady Tkachuk, who has 27 points in 29 duels with the Habs, and second-liner Drake Batherson, who has 23 points in 25 tilts.
Saturday night’s game kicks off at 7:00 PM, and it will be the only game on this short road trip for the Canadiens. They’ll then welcome the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.
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