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

By
Sam Gerber
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Game Preview by Sam Gerber
Last game: MTL 2  NSH  3  

The battle between Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban stole the show. The Habs had 49 shots on goal but failed to score in the shootout, missing out on the extra point.

For a complete recap: Habs Gallagher Steps Up, Speaks Out

Players to watch

  • Brendan Gallagher
    Gallagher can build on the emotionally-charged performance from last game.
  • Alex Galchenyuk
    Galchenyuk was dominant in overtime against the Predators. He is now tied for second for the team in points. Down the stretch, Claude Julien would be wise to lighten up on the leash further.
  • Mikko Rantanen
    Rantanen has taken over the offense for the Avs after Nathan MacKinnon went down with injury. With 35 assists on the season, the Habs have to worry more about the pass than the shot when Rantanen has the puck..

Keys to Victory

  • Compete with high energy
    The Canadiens need to maintain a high tempo for 60 minutes.
  • Top-six must contribute
    Montreal’s top offensive talent must execute on a consistent basis.
  • Make smart choices
    It’s been an issue all season: the Habs must not settle for perimeter shots and should make a push towards the net.
Matchup by All Habs staff
Pepsi Center, Denver, CO | February 14, 9:30 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ALT

2017-18 statistics
AVALANCHE CANADIENS
64 (17th) Points (rank) 51 (26th)
30-21-4 Record 22-26-7
19-7-1 Home/Away 8-16-1
5-4-1 Last 10 4-5-1
3.15 GF/G 2.58
2.95 GA/G 3.07
19.4 PP% 21.4
83.5 PK% 78.3
 47.90  CF%  50.89
eSAT Analytics by Mathieu Chagnon
 
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Landeskog – Kerfoot – Wilson
Nieto – Soderberg – Rantanen
Jost – Compher – Bourque
Greer – Toninato – Yakupov		 Pacioretty – Byron – Lehkonen
Galchenyuk – Drouin – Scherbak
Hudon – Plekanec – Gallagher
Deslauriers – Froese – L. Shaw
Defensemen
Zadorov – Johnson
Nemeth – Girard
 Lindholm – Barrie		 Alzner – Petry
Morrow – Benn
Mete – Schlemko
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Grimaldi, Siemens
Injured: MacKinnon, Comeau, Barberio, Kamenev, Andrighetto 
 Scratched: Jerabek, Carr, De La Rose
Injured: Weber, Hemsky, Danault, A. Shaw
Goalies
Semyon Varlamov Antti Niemi
Record: 13-11-2
GAA: 2.90
Sv%: .910
SO: 1
Alternate: Jonathan Bernier		 Record: 2-5-1
GAA: 4.13
Sv%: .883
SO: 0
Alternate: Carey Price
 What to Expect
Prediction: Canadiens 3  Avalanche 1

The Avs sit a few points out of the playoffs and have been around a .500 team since the Mackinnon injury but still compete hard every night. A hot start for the Habs would do wonders for them as they usually get frustrated if they do not score early on.
Highlights from the NHL
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