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

A Look Back

The Blues’ Brandon Saad opened the scoring on an odd man rush with just 33 seconds remaining in the first period. Joel Armia potted his second goal of the season finding top-shelf on Jordan Binnington and was able to add another in the third. Josh Anderson tapped in a gimme to cap off a much-needed win at home, breaking the Habs seven game losing skid.

Last game: MTL 5  STL 4  F

For a complete game recap: Armia Scores Twice | RECAP: STL @ MTL

Players to Watch

• Joel Armia
  The 29-year-old Finnish winger had tallied only four points (1G-3A) in 26 games prior to the last two, where he was able to contribute with three goals. With the monkey off of his back, it’s possible that Armia could be picking up the heat part-way through the season and start putting up more points for the team.
• Cole Caufield
  The 22-year-old Wisconsin native continues to run hot. He’s been able to find net four times in the past four games and has now accumulated 23 goals in 40 games played sitting in the top ten for scoring in the NHL. At such a young age, this type of production now could transcribe into elite-level numbers in the future.
• Jake Evans
  Evans has been playing a strong two-way game all season.He’s been critical on the penalty kill, averaging a 52.1 win percentage in the faceoff dot, and as of recent, has contributed with three assists in the past two games. The 6-foot-1-inch centreman continues to be an essential piece bolstering the bottom-six.

Keys to Victory

• Shoot the puck
  The last time these two teams met was back at the start of December. The Canadiens managed just 16 shots on goal and miraculously still found a win. The Habs are sitting 30th in the league with an average shooting percentage of 28, so generating more chances will be key in shutting down the Kraken.
• Kill the momentum
  Seattle is coming to the Bell Centre on a hot-streak winning four consecutive games, with a chip on their shoulder. They will be bringing fast paced, confident hockey and the Habs need to man the fort and shut down a hot team.
• Get secondary scoring
  After a big win against the Blues, it’s obvious that when the team as a whole contributes to the stat sheet, the bottom-six finds confidence and alleviates pressure for the top lines to constantly produce.

2022-23  statistics

• “Army, he’s been outstanding the last couple games; very dominant in the offensive zone creating those chances for himself and he’s getting rewarded so you just got to keep working.”

Bottom Line