Game #52: Ducks vs. Canadiens Gameday Preview

The Hockey News’ Derek previews the Ducks’ matchup against the Montréal Canadiens.

The Ducks take on the Montréal Canadiens in a Sunday matinee. This is the second and final matchup of the season between these teams.

The Ducks' first matchup with the Canadiens in Montréal in December ended in a 3-2 shootout loss. The Ducks arguably deserved the two points, as they generated more offensive chances, but Sam Montembeault stymied them.

“They’re similar to us in a way,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. “They’re skilled, they're fast. 
That Suzuki line is terrific. He's a hell of a player. (Lane) Hutson’s a really dynamic defenseman. He brings a lot of offense to the game. They’re a very solid team. They went on a run there, they put themselves in a playoff position like we want to do. So I think it’s going to be a game of two teams (where) their offensive instincts kind of drive them.

“One of the priorities for us is to maintain puck possession. Calgary sat back a little and waited a little bit. It was kind of a boring game from a spectator’s view, but Montréal’s a counterattack team. They’re going to get up and down the ice. 
So we’ve got to make sure we're responsible with the puck.”

“They can skate,” Frank Vatrano said. “They're fast. Their D can move. They like to play off the rush, so, for us, try to play a little bit different game. Try and slow them down and make the plays once they open up.”

Mason McTavish did not practice on Saturday, though Cronin said he thinks he will be okay to play against the Canadiens. The Ducks have several options to explore if McTavish is unable to play. One would be to elevate Isac Lundeström to the third line while Jansen Harkins slides over from the left wing to center the fourth line. Robby Fabbri centered the third line during Saturday's practice, and while he is primarily a winger, he does have experience as a center.

Ducks Projected Lines

Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Troy Terry
Trevor Zegras - Leo Carlsson - Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Robby Fabbri
Jansen Harkins - Isac Lundeström - Brett Leason

Jackson LaCombe - Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov - Jacob Trouba
Brian Dumoulin - Drew Helleson

Lukáš Dostál (projected)

Canadiens Projected Lines

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovský
Alex Newhook - Kirby Dach - Patrik Laine
Josh Anderson - Christian Dvorak - Brendan Gallagher
Michael Pezzetta - Jake Evans - Joel Armia

Mike Matheson - Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj - Lane Hutson
Jayden Struble - David Savard

Sam Montembeault (projected)