Excerpt from 'Habs Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on the reasons it was advantageous for the Habs that Sean Monahan was not traded in 2023. GAME DAY PREVIEW | MONTREAL CANADIENS (22-28-8) VS ARIZONA COYOTES (23-29-5) GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs. Arizona Coyotes [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxOTQxODEzMDQ3NjAwNjQ3/arizona.png] GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs. Arizona Coyotes GAME 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 * undefined 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 [https://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 [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNzAzMjM2NzQxMTEzNjIw/gretzky-northland.jpg] Wayne Gretzky Signature Series
