GAME DAY | Montreal Canadiens vs Vancouver Canucks: Preview, TV, Start Time, Statistical Match-up, Projected Lines, Starting Goalies, Keys to Victory, Habs Tickets

A Look Back

It was a determined game by the Habs that allowed them to take an early lead and not look back. Alexander Romanov started the scoring with his first NHL goal. Then the Habs special teams got to work with Shea Weber scoring on the power-play and Artturi Lehkonen finding the back of the net short-handed. Jake Allen was everything the Habs wanted him to be, stopping 25 of 26 shots.

Last game: MTL 3  EDM 1  F

For a complete game recap: Oilers – Canadiens: Habs Sweep Edmonton

Players to Watch

• Jonathan Drouin
  Drouin hasn’t scored yet but has three assists in three games. He has the chance for a breakout year playing on a line with Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson. If he stays healthy Drouin should be close to a point per game player as he enters the prime of his career.
• Artturi Lehkonen
  Lehkonen may be playing on the Habs fourth line, however he offers a lot more than that. His first goal of the season showed a confident player, making a perfectly placed shot. This kind of confidence could go a long way to securing supplementary offence from the fourth line.
• Brendan Gallagher
  Gallagher missed a wide open net last game and hasn’t scored yet. He also took a selfish penalty. That said, Gallagher was a big part of shutting down Connor McDavid and the Oilers. He and his linemates will be tasked with shutting down Canucks star Elias Pettersson tonight.
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Keys to Victory

• Outwork the opposition
  The Habs beat the Oilers by simply out working them. With the depth the Habs have if they do that every night they will have a great chance at winning the game.
• Maintain composure
  Vancouver hasn’t had the start they would have liked and will try to set the tone early. The Habs need to make sure they keep their composure or it could get out of hand quickly.
• Limit penalties
  The Habs have taken far too many penalties this season and are playing with fire. If they don’t clean this up soon they will pay dearly for it.

2020-21 statistics

• “Because we’ve got more players, we’re a little bit more aggressive on our penalty kill. That’s helped us a lot. Having said that, I think we also have to be careful. We played with fire last game taking that many penalties. We have to maybe clean up that part of our game.”

Bottom Line

A quick start for the Habs will do wonders for them and put the Canucks on the heels. Price is 7-0-1 in his last eight games against the Canucks and will be well rested going into tonight’s game.