The Montreal Canadiens will take on the New Jersey Devils twice this weekend, and they'll not only be chasing eight wins in a row, but also the first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Montreal Canadiens will finish their five-game road trip on Saturday night when they take on the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. The two teams will face off twice this weekend, with their third meeting being held on Sunday at the Bell Centre. It’s been a disastrous season for Sheldon Keefe’s team; the Devils have yet to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but with only 80 points to their name, it would take a miracle for them to get back in contention.
Still, the hosts have a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games, and they have won the only duel between the two sides this season, 4-3 in overtime with Jakub Dobes in net. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been in splendid form of late with an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games, including a seven-game winning streak. Just like Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers, this confrontation has all the makings of a trap game.
Neither team has confirmed who they’ll start in net on Saturday, but given that they’re playing a back-to-back, both of their goalies should see some action. On the visitors’ side, Dobes has played the Devils twice and lost both games in overtime. He has a 3.82 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage against them. As for Jacob Fowler, he has yet to take them on.
At the other end of the ice, Jacob Markstrom has a 10-8-3 record against the Canadiens with a 2.25 GAA and a .922 SV, while former Hab Jake Allen is 5-5-0 with a 2.91 GAA and a .899 SV.
It will be interesting to see whether there are any changes to the Canadiens’ lineup. On Friday, the team held a rare practice these days, and both Kaiden Guhle and Phillip Danault were missing, receiving treatment rather than skating. Furthermore, Adam Engstrom, who was recently called up from the Laval Rocket in the wake of the Alexandre Carrier injury news, has yet to get a game. Still, both Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj have been playing well lately.
Mike Matheson is the Canadiens’ most productive player against the hosts with 21 points in 32 games, followed by Danault, who has 15 points in 20 games, and Brendan Gallagher, who has 13 points in 31 duels. All eyes will be on Cole Caufield, however, since the sniper is just one goal short of the 50-goal mark. He’s got nine points in 11 games against the Devils, and he could very well get there. Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki is six points shy of the century mark, but the Devils are not among his favorite victims; he has 10 points in 16 games. As for defenseman Lane Hutson, he only needs two points to reach the 75-point mark on the season, but he has been held off the scoresheet in five games against the Devils. Finally, Juraj Slafkovsky only needs a goal to have 30 this season, but he’s only scored once against them and has three points in eight games.
Meanwhile, the Devils have three players who have scored 21 points against the Canadiens: Jack Hughes (in 13 games), Jesper Bratt (in 21 games), and Dougie Hamilton (in 32 games). All three are healthy and ready to go, meaning the Habs will have to keep a close eye on them. It’s also worth noting that Timo Meir has 15 points in just 16 duels with Montreal.
While the Devils are struggling this season, they have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two sides, including the last five games. The Habs’ last game in New Jersey was on January 17, 2024. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on NHLN, MSG, SNE, CITY, and TVAS. Chris Rooney and Stephen Hiff are set to officiate, while James Tobias and Ryan Gibbons will be the linemen.
With 98 points in the standings, the Canadiens are hot on the tail of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres, who both sit on 100 points. The two teams are also playing tonight, but if they lose to the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals, respectively, there could be a three-way tie in points. Tampa would, however, remain in first place as they have a game in hand on Buffalo and more regulation wins than the Canadiens, who would move up to second place, having played one less game than the Sabres.
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