Fans Return | PREVIEW: TOR @ MTL

By
Cole Jurzyniec
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GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Preview, TV, Start Time, Statistical Match-up, Projected Lines, Starting Goalies, Keys to Victory, Habs Tickets

Game Preview 

A Look Back

Jeff Petry continued his recent resurgence opening the scoring with his third of the season. After the Islanders had tied the game on the power-play, Josh Anderson threaded the needle to give the Habs the lead. After the Isles tied the game in the third, Rem Pitlick scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout.

Last game: MTL 3  NYI 2  F/SO

For a complete game recap: Two in a Row | RECAP: MTL @ NYI

Players to Watch

  • Josh Anderson
    Anderson is the first Canadiens player to reach double digits in goals this season, with all 10 goals coming at even strength. Anderson is a fixture on the second power-play until but only has one point with the man advantage this season.
  • Alexander Romanov
    The 22-year-old has been a physical force all season leading the team with 165 hits which places him top-5 in the NHL. Romanov is also second on the Canadiens in blocked shots with 77.
  • Brett Kulak
    Kulak has a goal and two assists in his past six games bringing him to 11 points in 44 games this season. The Alberta native is on pace to surpass his career high of 17 points set during the 2018-’19 season.

Keys to Victory

  • Defensive zone coverage
    It’s a simple story with the Maple Leafs scoring at will, ranking fourth in the NHL, and the Canadiens giving up the most goals in the league. The Habs will have their hands full in the defensive zone in this game.
  • Feed off the crowd
    The Canadiens will welcome fans back to the Bell Centre for the first time since early Decemeber. Despite being limited to 50 percent capacity, the return of their supporters should provide a boost to the players.
  • Stay out of the box
    The Leafs sport the best power-play in the league while the Canadiens rank as one of the worst teams on the penalty-kill. This is a recipe for disaster if the Habs take needless penalties.
Statistical Matchup for Game 51
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | February 21, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+

2021-22  statistics
MAPLE LEAFS CANADIENS
67 (7th) Points (rank) 27 (32nd)
32-13-3 Record 10-33-7
L1 Streak W2
7-3-0 Last 10 2-8-0
3.58 (4th) GF/G (rank) 2.20 (32nd)
2.73 (6th) GA/G (rank) 3.90 (32nd)
31.6 (1st) PP% (rank) 12.8 (31st)
84.6 (6th) PK%  (rank) 73.8 (30th)
56.1  Faceoff % 48.1
Pre-game Quotes
Sheldon Keefe, head coach, Toronto Maple Leafs

  • “We haven’t forgotten that there’s 11 out of 18 skaters that’ll be on the ice tonight who knocked us out of the playoffs last year.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Bunting – Matthews – Marner
Kerfoot – Tavares – Nylander
Mikheyev – Kampf – Kase
Engvall – Spezza – Simmonds		 Caufield – Suzuki – Anderson
Hoffman – Dauphin – Gallagher
R. Pitlick – Evans – Byron
Pezzetta – Poehling – Lehkonen
Defensemen
Rielly – Brodie
Muzzin – Liljegren
Sandin – Holl		 Kulak – Petry
Chiarot – Romanov
Clague – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched:
Injured:
COVID-19:		 Scratched: Paquette, T. Pitlick
Injured: Armia (facial injury), Dvorak (upper-body), Savard (ankle), Allen (lower-body), Drouin (wrist), Perreault (lower-body), Edmundson (back), Price (knee), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19: Schueneman
Goalies
Petr Mrazek Sam Montembeault
Sam Montembeault
Record: 6-3-0
GAA: 2.95
Sv%: .899
SO: 0
Alternate: Jack Campbell		 Record: 3-10-4
GAA: 3.81
Sv%: .895
SO: 0
Alternate: Andrew Hammond
 Game Expectations
Last time these two historic rivals met was on October 13th for the opening game of the season. The Leafs took that contest 2-1 in front of a capacity crowd at the Scotiabank Arena. Toronto was without Auston Matthews for their season opener but he will be in the lineup on Monday in Montreal.

Bottom Line

Toronto is coming off a 6-3 home loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens will be trying for their first-three game winning streak of this season.
 Video Highlights

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