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

A Look Back

Undisciplined is an understatement; it was a man-advantage frenzy for both teams Saturday night as five of the eight goals were scored on the power-play. Nick Suzuki scored his 13th goal of the season on the power-play, opening the scoring for the Habs late in the first period. The Oilers then came back in the second period gripping the momentum scoring three unanswered power-play goals. Evgenii Dadonov potted his second goal of the season and Arber Xhekaj netted his fourth on a well-placed shot. It was not enough to take down the Oilers who were primed from the start.

Last game: MTL 3  EDM 5  F

For a complete game recap: Penalty Parade | RECAP: MTL @ EDM

Players to Watch

• Evgenii Dadonov
  The 33-year-old Russian has been rather lackluster this season but has shown spurts of potential. Dadonov netted a goal in Edmonton and appears to have his eyes locked on the net. The Canadiens have passed the quarter point into the season and with only three points in 20 games played, the winger will be expected to produce more.
• Joel Armia
  The 6-foot-4-inch Finnish winger hasn’t been contributing this season. Usually relied on for his puck protecting abilities and his chance creating capabilities, he has only just picked up his first assist Saturday night. He took three shots, ringing one off the crossbar but the Canadiens need the bottom-six to find some production to have any success moving forward.
• Michael Matheson
  Matheson has played seven games with the club and, although he started off slowly, Michael is beginning to pick up the pace. The Quebec native has two assists in four games and is starting to show his speed and elusiveness.  He joins the rush and has great hockey IQ; he could be useful in the future as the defensive lineups get shaped.

Keys to Victory

• Stay disciplined
  When a team takes 23 penalty minutes, it’s hard to imagine them coming out on top with a victory. The veterans need to lead by example instead of hurting the team and it all starts by playing clean, smart hockey. The defensemen need to start acting proactively rather than taking poor penalties and the offense needs to be wary and help out in the back end and back-check formally.
• Man the fort
  The Canucks are currently sixth in the league with a 11.2 shooting percentage and are 12th with an average of 3.36 goals scored. Vancouvers top four forwards, Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson, J.T Miller, and Russian rookie Andrei Kuzmenko collectively have 52 goals on the season so shutting down their top performers will be essential.
• Win power-play
  The Canadiens went two for three on the power-play Saturday night in Edmonton. Finding success on the man-advantage will be key moving forward as they stand 29th in the league with one of the worst power-plays.

2022-23  statistics

• “All of them don’t get down on themselves. They come back the next shift, make good plays and don’t lose confidence, and that’s great to see from young guys.”

Bottom Line