In a contest between two struggling teams, the Montreal Canadiens hope to end their five game losing streak against the Arizona Coyotes.
GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens (22-28-8) vs Arizona Coyotes (23-29-5)
GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs. Arizona CoyotesGame Preview
Roster News
Jayden Struble did not participate in the game day skate. Struble will not be in the lineup against the Coyotes.
Sam Montembeault (12-10-4 / 3.20 GAA / .902 SV%) is the confirmed starter for Montreal.
Montembeault has struggled in the month of February with a 1-3-0 record with a 3.80 goals against average and a .885 save percentage.
Montembeault has been gifted an easier start as the Coyotes have not won since January 22nd. Arizona has lost 12 straight games.
Last Game
Marty St. Louis was happy with the effort of his team but the Canadiens extended their losing streak to five games.
Last game: MTL 3 vs NJD 4 | F
Players to Watch
- Colin White - White will play his first game at the Bell Centre in a Canadiens jersey.
Matchup for Game 59, Home Game 31
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC. | February 27, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN
Pre-Game
Martin St. Louis
"The group is very engaged. The group is very enthusiastic coming to the rink. [..] I think that we're staying on task to keep improving as a group. That doesn't guarantee wins. But, it gets us a step closer to what we are trying to build."
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 (12-10-4 / 3.20 GAA / .902 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 only visit to Montreal this season by the Coyotes. Arizona earned a 3-2 win in their last game on November 2nd.
Clayton Keller leads Arizona with 22 goals, 30 assists for 52 points. Keller has recorded at least one point in his last six games against Montreal.
Connor Ingram (17-13-3 / 2.80 GAA / .911 SV%) is the confirmed starter for the Coyotes.
Game Expectations
Both teams are experiencing their longest losing streaks of the season. The Canadiens have lost five straight games. St. Louis has called it the team's best stretch of the season.
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.
Wayne Gretzky Signature Series