The Montreal Canadiens will try to win a second time in as many games tonight, something they've only done once this season and won't be easy against the Minnesota Wild.
On Monday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens finally managed to halt their six game losing streak when they beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-5. While the end result was positive, it wasn't pretty to look at especially on the goaltending front. Cayden Primeau struggled, giving up five goals on 14 shots before being pulled less than four minutes into the third period.
It was hardly surprising to hear Martin St-Louis confirm yesterday morning that Samuel Montembeault would be manning the Canadiens' net in Minnesota. While the Quebecer has been the better of the two goalies this season so far, he's not having a brilliant season either. He has a 4-7-1 record, a 3.42 goals-against average, a .890 save percentage, and while he was once thought to be in contention for the 4 Nations Cup Canadian roster, it's unlikely he makes it now.
The Habs number one goaltender has only taken on the Wild three times in his career putting up a 1-1-1 record with a 3.60 GAA and a .872 SP. Primeau's number are even worst at 7.50 GAA and .844 SP, he's only started one game against the Minnesota outfit however.
At the other end of the ice, we already know they'll be no Marc-Andre Fleury, the Wild has confirmed Filip Gustavsson will be the starter. The Swede has a 7-2-2 record so far this season with a 2.27 GAA and a .919 SP. His history against Montreal isn't great though, he's 1-2-1 with a 3.64 GAA and a .884 SP.
Yesterday at practice in Brossard, there was a welcome sight. Rafael Harvey-Pinard was not only on the ice, but he was wearing a regular jersey, meaning he can now take contact. St-Louis has already said he's not an option for tonight's game, but his recovery seems to be going well. Once he’s ready to return, he will provide his coach with another viable option offensively. No offense to Mike Pezzetta, but the Saguenay native has got more offensive upside than the gritty winger who’s more about a physical presence.
The only Canadiens to have reached double digits in points against the Wild is, surprisingly, David Savard. The veteran defenseman has 10 points in 22 match-ups. Meanwhile Nick Suzuki only has four points in eight games while sniper Cole Caufield has three points in five duels, including a single goal. Leader Brendan Gallagher has played Minnesota 16 times and has eight points to show for it, just like Christian Dvorak. Gallagher only needs one lamplighter to tie former captain Max Pacioretty as the 18th best scorer in Canadiens history with 226 goals.
Lineup wise, the offensive lines stayed the same and on the backend, Justin Barron was rotating on the third pair with Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble. Do not expect to see him back in the lineup though, the coach mentioned he likes how is team works defensively right now and that Barron has to keep working on his own game.
With their win on Monday, the Canadiens have climbed to 31st in the standings and they are without a doubt far from their own expectations of “being in the mix”, a winning-streak would go a long way toward getting them back in the conversation, but as things stand, there’s very little chance they’ll be able to get back in there.
Tonight’s game will be a challenge for the Canadiens, the Wild are currently third overall in the league and have 23 points in 15 games. They have a 7-2-1 record in the last 10 games and they’ve lost their last game in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks. Prior to that, they were on a two-game winning streak having beaten the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on consecutive nights. You have to go way back to find the Canadiens' last win in Minnesota, all the way to March 2011. In 15 games at the Excel Energy Center, the Habs have a 3-10-0-2 record.
As expected, the Wild is led offensively by Russian scoring machine Kirill Kaprizov who has picked up 28 points in 15 games. In his last three games, he has recorded seven points. Matt Boldy is a distant second with 16 points since the start of the season, making him a point-per-game player and a real threat to keep an eye on. Finally, Mats Zuccarello is on a three-game point streak as well, putting up a point in each match.
While Kaprizov has only taken on the Habs six times, he has recorded 11 points against them and is probably looking forward to another very productive game offense wise. Veteran Marcus Foligno and Marcus Johansson (who missed practice yesterday) have both played the Canadiens 32 times. The former has put up 15 points while the latter has 23.
Tonight's tilt will be the first of two meetings between the two sides this season, the return game being scheduled in Montreal on January, 30. The hosts have won the last seven games between the two teams and nine of the last 10, the last Canadiens' win dates back to October 17, 2019 in Montreal when they blanked Minnesota 4-0. Puck drop is set for 8:00 PM tonight.
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