Allen vs Lindgren | PREVIEW: MTL @ STL

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Sam Gerber
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GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens vs St Louis Blues: Preview, TV, Start Time, Statistical Match-up, Projected Lines, Starting Goalies, Keys to Victory, Habs Tickets

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The Habs were kept in check all night and the game ended with chants of ‘Fleury’ as Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his 500th NHL win. It was an incredible accomplishment from the French Canadian that didn’t go unrecognized.

Last game: MTL 0  CHI 2  F

For a complete game recap: Power Outage | RECAP: CHI @ MTL

Players to Watch

  • Jake Allen
    Allen will play his former team for the first time since signing being traded to the Habs. Due to the pandemic, it has taken longer for Allen to face the Blues but he will have extra motivation to get a win tonight.
  • Ben Chiarot
    Chariot has been the team’s strongest leader this year. His game is suited for playoffs as shown last season but his offense this season has made him a valuable trade chip.
  • Artturi Lehkonen
    The injuries have piled up for the Habs giving Lehkonen some of his biggest minutes. While he is known for doing all the small things right expect to see him used in an offensive role down the stretch to boost his trade value.

Keys to Victory

  • Create traffic
    The Habs once again have to keep it simple: pucks on the net with traffic in front and try to deflect one in.
  • Play 60 minutes
    An effort level needs to be seen from start to finish of the game, and the coach needs to play players that are willing to compete harder than the rest.
  • Say hello to a familiar face
    Charlie Lindgren will get the start for the Blues tonight. He’s had a short but solid season with the Blues and will have a ton of motivation to shutdown his former team.
Statistical Matchup for Game 29
Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO | December 11, 7:00 PM ET | TV: SNE, CITY, TVAS, ESPN+, BSMW

2021-22  statistics
BLUES CANADIENS
32 (13th) Points (rank) 15 (31st)
14-8-4 Record 6-19-3
W2 Streak L2
5-3-2 Last 10 2-7-1
3.39 (6th) GF/G (rank) 2.18 (29th)
2.81 (17th) GA/G (rank) 3.50 (28th)
28.4 (3rd) PP% (rank) 13.2 (30th)
82.2 (11th) PK%  (rank) 71.8 (30th)
49.6  Faceoff % 48.6
Pre-game Quotes
Mike Hoffman on returning to St. Louis to face his former team

  • “I enjoyed it, and the guys were great. We made it to the playoffs, but had a tough matchup against Colorado. It was a shortened season and obviously a COVID year, so I wasn’t able to do too much or experience the city, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Saad – O’Reilly – Kyrou
Buchnevich – Barbashev – Tarasenko
Walker – Schenn – Sundqvist
Joshua – Brown – Peca		 Lehkonen – Suzuki – Hoffman
Drouin – Poehling – Armia
Perreault – Dauphin – Caufield
Pezzetta – Paquette – Ylonen
Defensemen
Mikkola – Parayko
Scandella – Krug
Perunovich – Bortuzzo		 Chiarot – Savard
Romanov – Wideman
Kulak – Clague
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Bozak
Injured: Perron, Thomas, Neal, Kostin,  Husso, Walman
COVID-19 protocol: Binnington, Faulk		 Scratched: Schueneman
Injured: Evans (undisclosed), Dvorak (lower-body),  Toffoli (hand), Edmundson (back), Petry (upper-body), Anderson (upper-body), Price (knee), Byron (hip), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19 protocol: Gallagher, Niku
Goalies
Charlie Lindgren Jake Allen
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.81
Sv%: .941
SO: 1
Alternate: Jon Gillies		 Record: 5-13-2
GAA: 2.96
Sv%: .907
SO: 2
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
This is a match between two injury-plagued teams, while the Blues remain in a wildcard seat the Habs find themselves second last in the league. This should be a winnable game for the Blues who know that and know a Habs win could cost them a playoff spot down the road. Look for a tight checking game with the Blues not wanting to give an inch.

Bottom Line

With the injuries to the Habs they have several players that need to take advantage of their opportunity.
 Video Highlights

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