Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis will use the four-game road trip as a measuring stick for his players.
GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens (23-28-8) vs Florida Panthers (39-16-4)
Game Preview
Roster News
Sam Montembeault (13-10-4 / 3.16 GAA / .904 SV%) is the confirmed starter for Montreal.
Last Game
It was another strong game for Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris with a goal and an assist to break Montreal's five-game losing streak.
Last game: MTL 4 vs ARI 2 | F
Players to Watch
- Juraj Slafkovsky - Slafkovsky wasn't happy with his game against the Coyotes, taking four minutes in penalties for high-sticking. Slafkovsky is without a point in his last four games.
Matchup for Game 60, Away Game 29
Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL. | February 29, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, BSFL, ESPN
Pre-Game
Martin St. Louis
"Usually for me Florida, Tampa, Carolina is like Amen Corner (at The Masters) so you have to bring your 'A' game. You have to be precise, you have to be engaged, and you got to manage the risks you take."
"It’s really a trip that is a good opportunity to see where we are as a team, but also individually. This will allow us to see how committed our guys are."
Projected Canadiens Lineup (subject to change)
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
89 Joshua Roy - 15 Alex Newhook - 40 Joel Armia
11 Brendan Gallagher - 71 Jake Evans - 17 Josh Anderson
70 Tanner Pearson - 36 Colin White - 56 Jesse Ylonen
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 21 Kaiden Guhle
72 Arber Xhekaj - 58 David Savard
54 Jordan Harris - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
Goaltenders
Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault (13-10-4 / 3.16 GAA / .904 SV%)
Alternate: 34 Jake Allen
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Cayden Primeau, Michael Pezzetta
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Christian Dvorak (upper body), Rafael Harvey-Pinard (lower body), Jayden Struble (lower body)
Visiting Bench
This is the third meeting between the two teams. Florida has won the two previous games by a combined total of 9-2.
Florida is in first place in the Atlantic Division and one point out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony Stolarz (10-5-2 / 1.97 GAA / .925 SV%) is the confirmed starter for the Panthers.
Stolarz is 4-1 in his last five starts with a .951 save percentage and 1.39 goals against average in that period.
Game Expectations
The Canadiens begin a four-game road trip in Sunrise, Florida against the Panthers. Their schedule will then take them to Tampa, Nashville and Raleigh.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
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