GAME DAY | Blue Jackets – Canadiens: Preview, Prediction, Lines, Goalies, TV

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Sam Gerber
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Game Preview by Sam Gerber, Staff Writer
Last game: MTL 3  BUF  0 

Carey Price was outstanding in his return with a 36-save shutout. Timely goals were all the offence that was required. A challenge to a call finally went the Habs way.

For a complete recap: Sabres – Canadiens: A 36-Save Shutout As Price Returns to Habs

Players to watch

  • Carey Price
    Price will continue to be a player to watch as he will be relied upon to lead a fragile team. He will continue to be a deciding factor every night to determine whether the Habs win or lose.
  • Alex Galchenyuk
    Galchenyuk scored his fifth goal of the season against the Sabres. In my opinion, he  hasn’t showed enough consistency. Now is the perfect time for him to find his scoring touch and go on a streak.
  • Sergei Bobrovsky
    With 28 saves, Bobrovsky was the difference maker the last time these teams matched up. As the winner of the Vezina Trophy in 2016-17, he is off to a great start this season. 

Keys to Victory

  • Win the transition game
    Both teams have speed that they use to counter attack. The Habs will need to be better in this part of the game. They can’t afford to give up odd man rushes.
  • Shoot the puck
    It seemed to me that Canadiens shooters held on to the puck far too long in the last meeting with the Blue Jackets. Rather than being intimidated by Sergei Bobrovsky, they need to go with their instincts and shoot.
  • Use your speed
    It is painfully clear that the Habs are not going to be a physical team no matter how much Claude Julien wants them to be. The team’s best asset is their speed. They must use it in areas of the ice right from the get go.
Matchup 
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | November 27, 7:30 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, FS-O

2017-18 statistics
BLUE JACKETS CANADIENS
31 (5th) Points (rank) 21 (27th)
15-7-1 Record 9-12-3
7-3-1 Away/Home 5-5-2
6-3-1 Last 10 4-4-2
2.87 GF/G 2.33
2.35 GA/G 3.29
9.7 PP% 15.3
84.5 PK% 75.9
 52.61  CF%  52.43
 
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Panarin – Dubois – Anderson
Jenner – Dubinsky – Bjorkstrand
Milano – Foligno – Atkinson
Motte – Sedlak – Schroeder		 Byron – Drouin – Galchenyuk
Pacioretty – Danault – Shaw
Hudon – Plekanec – Gallagher 
Deslauriers – De La Rose – Froese
Defensemen
Werenski – Jones
Johnson – Savard
Murray – Nutivaara		 Alzner – Petry
Benn – Morrow
Mete – Jerabek
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Harrington, Hannikainen
Injured: Wennberg, Calvert		 Scratched: Davidson, Schlemko
Injured: Hemsky, Scherbak, Montoya, Lehkonen, Weber
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky Carey Price
Record: 14-4-1
GAA: 1.91
Sv%: .936
SO: 3
Alternate: Joonas Korpisalo		 Record: 4-7-1
GAA: 3.44
Sv%: .890
SO: 1
Alternate: Antti Niemi
 What to Expect
This game could be a true goaltending battle with Carey Price having the much more difficult task given the shakiness of his defence and the potency of the Blue Jackets offense. 

Prediction: Canadiens 2  Blue Jackets 0 

Price will be looking to help his team carry the confidence they built in the victory against the Sabres.
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