A Road Challenge | PREVIEW: MTL @ BOS

By
Rick Stephens
-
0
35

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The Canadiens last game was on New Year’s day. Montreal began the game with 11 forwards and five defencemen but lost Cedric Paquette early in the contest. The Canadiens shutdown all activities after the completion of this game until January 9th.

Last game: MTL 2  FLA 5  F

For a complete game recap: ‘We Didn’t Quit’ | RECAP: MTL @ FLA

Players to Watch

  • Jake Allen
    This will be the first game action for Allen since December 14th as he found himself on the Habs COVID protocol list. Allen has five wins in 23 starts so far this season and has acknowledged that, while the Habs won’t be making the playoffs, that he wants to build a positive momentum in the second half of the season.
  • Christian Dvorak
    The Canadiens promised that they would be a better team with Dvorak in the lineup. That has been far from the case. Dvorak has just five goals and has been the worst defensive forward for Montreal at 4.3 goals against per 60 minutes. Dvorak needs to earn a place on the roster for next season.
  • Chris Wideman
    Wideman has been a pleasant surprise for the Canadiens this season. He has quietly been effective defensively and has chipped in with nine points. Wideman was selected by NHL.com editors as their choice to be the Canadiens representative for the NHL All-Star game.

Keys to Victory

  • Play smart
     After such a long layoff for many players on the Canadiens, it will be important to make simple plays. The Habs will be facing a team that is on a roll and it will be key to slow the game from the outset.
  • Keep shifts short
    With so many Canadiens returning from the COVID-19 list, the players will be excited to be on the ice but must manage their ice-time. The effect of the virus on conditioning may affect players differently but the Canadiens must sustain their effort against the Bruins for a full 60 minutes.
  • Stay disciplined
    Despite the disparity in talent, a Boston – Montreal matchup is going to be emotional.  The Canadiens do not want to give the Bruins power-play too many opportunities by taking needless penalties.
Statistical Matchup for Game 35
TD Garden, Boston, MA |January 12, 7:00 PM ET | TV: SN, RDS, TNT

2021-22  statistics
BRUINS CANADIENS
40 (15th) Points (rank) 18 (31st)
19-11-2 Record 7-23-4
W2 Streak L2
7-3-0 Last 10 1-7-2
3.06 (15th) GF/G (rank) 2.12 (32nd)
2.59 (7th) GA/G (rank) 3.62 (29th)
23.2 (9th) PP% (rank) 11.0 (32nd)
82.3 (10th) PK%  (rank) 71.6 (30th)
54.5  Faceoff % 47.3
Pre-game Quotes
Dominique Ducharme

  • “Having our guys refreshed mentally and physically, the biggest challenge is to be able to sustain the game for 60 minutes and be consistent doing everything that we want to do. We don’t want to be cracking at one point.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Marchand – Bergeron – Smith
Hall – Haula – Pastrnak
DeBrusk – Coyle – Steen
Blidh – Nosek – Lazar		 Hoffman – Suzuki – Lehkonen
Drouin – Dvorak – Armia
Dauphin – Poehling – Caufield
Paquette – Vejdemo – Pezzetta
Defensemen
Grzelcyk – McAvoy
Reilly – Carlo
Moore – Vaakanainen		 Chiarot – Savard
Kulak – Petry
Niku – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Frederic
Injured: Zboril, Kuhlman, Foligno
COVID-19: Clifton, Forbort
Taxi squad:		 Scratched: Schueneman, Romanov, Evans
Injured: Evans (undisclosed), Byron (hip), Gallagher (lower-body), Perreault (undisclosed), Anderson (upper-body), Edmundson (back), Toffoli (hand), Price (knee), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19: Belzile, Harvey-Pinard, Clague, Ylonen
Taxi squad: Primeau, Belpedio, Baddock
Goalies
Linus Ullmark Jake Allen
Record: 11-5-0
GAA: 2.57
Sv%: .917
SO: 0
Alternate: Tuukka Rask		 Record: 5-15-2
GAA: 3.10
Sv%: .903
SO: 2
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
The Canadiens were a fragile team before the COVID-19 outbreak swept through the team but the pause gave them a chance to reset the season. Despite their position in the standings, players have a responsibility to compete hard every night.

Bottom Line

The Bruins received a boost with Tuukka Rask rejoining the team. Although Rask won’t play until Thursday, his presence on the bench can only help inject more positive vibes into a team who has already hit their stride.
 Video Highlights

Follow @AllHabs on Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR