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

By
Sam Gerber
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Game Preview by Sam Gerber
Last game : MTL 2  EDM 6  

The Habs had a terrible start to the road trip getting punished by the Oilers. Montreal deserved to lose this game. They fell behind early and played catchup the rest of the game. Antti Niemi struggled badly in the game, giving up several soft goals. His team certainly didn’t help but he wasn’t able to make the timely save that could have kept the Habs in it.

For a complete game recap: Tough Night for Niemi, Habs D in Edmonton

Players to watch

  • Phil Danault
    Playing in a top line role is something Danault needs to accept. He is playing with two of the Habs best offensive players in Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar who thrive when they have possession. Danault lacks the skill to finish but he could work on his defensive game to make the top line a harder matchup. 
  • Carey Price
    Price will get the start tonight. After two shaky starts by Antti Niemi, it is important for Price to make some early timely saves.  
  • Brendan Gallagher
    After a tough loss, the Canadiens need to set the tone. Brendan Gallagher was a no show against Edmonton and must be a leader tonight.

Keys to Victory

  • Play defence first
    Montreal can’t win games when they give up more than five goals. It’s time for them to focus on defense and take pride in playing well in their own zone.
  • Win special teams
    The Habs special teams are still not where they should be and have been the deciding factor, negatively, in many games this season.
  • Derail the top line
    Montreal failed to contain Connor McDavid last game. They will have to do a much better job against Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan tonight.
Matchup by All Habs staff
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB | November 15, 9:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, SNW

2018-19 statistics
FLAMES CANADIENS
21 (11th) Points (rank) 21 (13th)
10-7-1 Record 9-6-3
4-2-1 Home/Away 3-3-2
4-5-1 Last 10 4-5-1
3.11 GF/G 3.22
3.06 GA/G 3.39
17.2 PP% 13.0
76.3 PK% 82.5
54.42  CF%  52.71
eSAT Analytics by Mathieu Chagnon
 
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Gaudreau – Monahan – Lindholm
 Tkachuk – Backlund – Bennett
Czarnik – Jankowski – Neal
Frolik – Ryan – Hathaway		 Tatar – Danault – Gallagher
Drouin – Domi – Shaw
Agostino – Kotkaniemi – Lehkonen
Deslauriers – Peca – Hudon
Defensemen
Giordano – Brodie
Hanifin – Hamonic
Valimaki – Andersson		 Benn – Petry
Schlemko – Juulsen
Ouellet – Mete
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Dube, Stone, Prout
Injured: none
 Scratched: Alzner, Reilly
Injured: Weber, Armia, Byron, Scherbak
Goalies
Mike Smith Carey Price
Record: 5-6-1
GAA: – 3.51
Sv%: – .877
SO: 1
Alternate: David Rittich		 Record: 5-4-3
GAA: – 3.07
Sv%: – .892
SO: 1
Alternate: Antti Niemi
 What to Expect by Sam Gerber
The Western road trip started out rough but the Habs need to answer the bell. The Canadiens have lost six out of their last 10 and are starting to slip in the standings. Finishing the road trip strong starts with defensive hockey which has been missing from the team all season long. A quick start for the Habs could chase Mike Smith early but allowing him to settle in could lead to a long game. 
Highlights from the NHL
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