Game 18- Canadiens vs. Wild: Price’s return

It will be a special night for Montreal Canadiens fans and Carey Price tonight as the goaltender’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame will be celebrated in front of the crowd that made him what he is: a legendary figure in Montreal. As is customary, Price will be added to the Habs’ ring of honor around the Bell Centre, and fans will no doubt take the opportunity to give him the farewell he deserves for keeping them entertained and hopeful for the 15 years his career lasted in Montreal. Expect a video tribute for the ages, as only the Canadiens can make.

Once that's done, though, the current Canadiens will have a big task: taking on the Minnesota Wild. John Hynes’ men are currently third in the league with 28 points in 19 games, while the Habs are seventh with 25 points in 17 games. They are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games, but they did lose their last game 4-3 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, the Habs are 8-0-2 over their last 10 games and will try to win a third straight. We should know later today whether Jack Evans will be available, as he had to leave yesterday’s practice. However, Josh Anderson returned to practice yesterday after missing Saturday night’s game for personal reasons.

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Fowler has yet to take on the Wild in his career and would start with a clean slate, while Dobes has a 1-1-1 record against Minnesota, a 3.35 goals-against average, and an 857 save percentage. Unsurprisingly, St-Louis decided to go for Fowler on Carey Price's night, this will feel like a passing of the torch of sorts. 

Meanwhile, the Wild netminders don’t have great numbers against the Canadiens—Calvin Pickard 3-6-0 with a 3.13 GAA and a .892 SV. As for Jesper Wallstedt, he lost his only game against Montreal, with a 4.07 GAA and a .879 SV. Pickard was in net for Saturday night’s defeat, so Wallstedt should be on duty tonight.

Up front, the Habs’ front line has been surprisingly quiet against the Wild. Nick Suzuki has six points in 12 games, Cole Caufield has four in nine, and Juraj Slafkovsky has just two in seven. Montreal may have to look at depth scoring once again. Chris Kreider is the most productive against Minnesota with 12 points in 23 games, followed by Phillip Danault with 11 points in 25 games, and Suzuki, with just six points, rounds out the top three. The Wild will want to watch Lane Hutson, who has three points in four games, and the blueliner is on fire right now with points in his last five games (0-7-7).

As for the Wild, superstars Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes have both picked up points in their last eight games. The forward has 14 points (5-9) in that span, while the blueliner has 13 points (4-9). Hughes leads the team with 25 points in 21 games against the Habs, followed by Nick Foligno with 24 in 56 games, and Kaprizov with 17 points in just 9 games against Montreal.

The visitors have won eight of the last 10 games between the two sides, but the Canadiens did win one last season at the Bell Centre. The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on RDS in French and TSN 2 in English. Kelly Sutherland and Justin Kea will be the referees, while Trent Knorr and Mark Shewchyk will be the linesmen.

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