Bracing For the Avalanche
Jakub Dobes - Photo Credit: Jerome Miron - Imagn ImagesThe Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a day off on Friday after their overtime loss to the New York Islanders, but they will be all hands on deck on Saturday as they are set to host the Colorado Avalanche at the Bell Centre.
It will be the second and last game between the two sides this season. The first occurred in Denver in early January when Jakub Dobes recorded a 2-1 shootout win against a hazardous Colorado attack. The youngster finished the game with a .955 save percentage.
While Samuel Montembeault has been fantastic for the Canadiens since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, he’s let in a couple of softies over the last two games, and it will be interesting to see if Martin St-Louis decides to give him a rest on Saturday night.
However, the Becancour native has only faced the Avs twice in his career, winning the only decision he was involved in. He has a 1.88 goals-against average against them and a .935 SP, which are pretty good numbers. However, that’s a pretty small sample; the same can be said for Dobes.
There’s no word yet on which goaltender will be defending the Avalanche’s net. Mackenzie Blackwood was on duty the last time the two teams met, and he was as good as Dobes until the shootout. He has faced the Canadiens six times and has a 4-0-2, with a 2.26 GAA and a .931 SP. As for Scott Wedgewood, he has lost his only duel with the Canadiens and has a 4.45 GAA and a .778 SP. He was on duty for the Avs last game and beat the Senators 5-1 on Thursday night.
The Canadiens have won their last three games against Saturday night’s visitors but only four of the previous 10 meetings between the two sides. Montreal is 6-1-3 in its last 10 games, while Colorado is 8-1-1.
Given Colorado's good attack, the Canadiens will need their attack to be ready to go on Saturday night. Patrik Laine is the Habs’ most productive player against the Avs, scoring 18 points in 20 games. Nobody else is in the double digits, but to be fair, the two teams do not face each other regularly. Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher both have eight points against them, the former in as many games, while the alternate captain has faced them 15 times, but he has been red-hot over the last two games. Speaking of the alternate captain, he only needs one more points to join Pierre Mondou in 28th place of the top scorers with the Canadiens. Cole Caufield has four points in five games against the Avs, while Lane Hutson has an assist in his only tilt with Colorado.
As for the Avs, Nathan MacKinnon leads the pack with 17 points in 18 games, followed by Mikko Rantanen, who had 14 points in as many games, but as been traded, and Cale Makar, who has 10 points in eight games. Former Hab Artturi Lehkonen has four points in as many games.
The Canadiens are currently in the second wildcard spot in the Easter Conference, three points behind the Ottawa Senators, who will be taken on the severely depleted New Jersey Devils on Saturday. The New York Rangers and the New York Islanders are both trailing Montreal by two points; the former will be taking on the Vancouver Canucks, while the latter will be battling the Calgary Flames; both teams will play in the daytime, meaning Montreal will know where they stand before puck drop.
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