The Montreal Canadiens will host the Vancouver Canucks tonight at the Bell Center and try to sweep the season series between the two teams.
After a disappointing outing against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens will attempt to get back to their winning ways when they take on the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre on Monday night. It’s been a tough season for tonight’s visitors, who are currently dead last in the standings with just 37 points. In its previous 10 games, the British Columbia outfit has a 2-6-2 record and has lost its previous three.
The Canucks have struggled all season, as evidenced by their abysmal goal differential of minus-37, second-to-last to the St. Louis Blues’ minus-47. They have often been without starting netminder Thatcher Demko, who landed back on injured reserve on Sunday because of a lower-body injury. Since trading away captain Quinn Hughes on December 13, Vancouver has a 5-6-2 record despite going on a four-game winning streak right after the deal.
Monday night’s tilt will be the last duel between the two sides this season, Montreal having won the first in Vancouver by a score of 4-3 with Jakub Dobes in net for the Habs and Kevin Lankinen handling the Canucks’ net. The two teams have split their last 10 meetings, but the Canadiens have won the previous three.
Neither coach has confirmed their starting netminder yet, and all three of the Canadiens' netminders were on the ice with goalie coach Eric Raymond on Sunday, even though the practice was optional. Samuel Montembeault and Jacob Fowler have split the last five starts, with the former playing two games while the latter got three. As for Dobes, he hasn’t played since January 1.
Montembeault has a 3-3-1 record against the Canucks with a 4.13 GAA and a .862 save percentage, while Dobes has won his only start against them and has a 3.00 GAA and a .903. As for Fowler, he has never taken them on.
At the other end of the ice, Lankinen has a 0-2-1 record against Montreal with a 4.08 GAA and a .838 SV. As for Nikita Tolopilo, who was recalled on an emergency basis, he has never faced Montreal and has only played six games in the NHL. He’s 3-2-0 with a 2.57 GAA and a .906 SV.
Up front, captain Nick Suzuki is the Canadiens’ most productive forward against Vancouver with 19 points in 20 games, followed by Phillip Danault with 15 points in 32 meetings and Brendan Gallagher with 14 points in 31 duels. As for sniper Cole Caufield, he has just eight points, but he got them in just nine games, while Lane Hutson has four points in just three games.
Meanwhile, Evander Kane, who has just 20 points in 43 games since the start of the season, leads the Canucks in points against the Habs with 23 points in 36 games. Tyler Myers comes in second place with 20 points in 56 games, and Jake DeBrusk wraps up the top three with 18 points in 24 games.
The game is set for 7:30 PM, and you can catch it on Amazon Prime and on RDS. Dan O’Rourke and Pierre Lambert are set to officiate, with Steve Barton and Dan Kelly acting as linesmen. Tonight’s tilt will be the first of a back-to-back for the Canadiens, who’ll be travelling to Washington after the game as they take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
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