GAME PREVIEW | Canadiens – Penguins: Barber Will Make Habs Debut

By
Sam Gerber
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GAME DAY | Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins: Preview, TV,  Start Time, Statistical Match-up, Projected Lines, Starting Goalies, Keys to Victory, Habs Tickets

Game Preview by Sam Gerber
Last game : MTL 2  NYR 1  F   Carey Price played one of his best games of the season while the Habs veterans led the way. Brendan Gallagher scored his 13th goal of the season with Shea Weber playing a shut down role and Nate Thompson scoring the game winner in the final two minutes of the game.

For a complete game recap: 

Players to watch

  • Ben Chiarot
    Chariot is logging more ice time than he is used to and it’s led to some good play but more recently some bad. It’s clear that the Habs are desperate for help on the left side and it’s time for Marc Bergevin to take notice.
  • Joel Armia
    The strength of Armia’s game is possession. He is always involved either getting shots through or playing the body proving that the effort is there each game.
  • Jeff Petry
    Hopefully December is much nicer to Petry who has been fighting the puck for awhile. He had a solid game against the Rangers which he can build upon. 

Keys to Victory

  • Play with energy
    The Habs have had a few days off giving everyone lots of time to rest up. They need to come out strong and be prepared for a high paced game.
  • Defend first
    The Habs defensive game has been much better as of late keeping teams to under three goals or less. Claude Julien abandoned his system in an effort to break the losing streak. The Canadiens need to focus on defence but open their game to restore five-on-five offence.
  • Get to the net
    Traffic in front continues to be key as the Habs like the defence to have a shoot first mentality.
Statistical Matchup by All Habs
PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA | December 10, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, ATTSN-PT

2019-20 statistics
PENGUINS CANADIENS
38 (9th) Points (rank) 32 (20th)
17-9-4 Record 13-11-6
12-3-2 Home/Away 6-4-3
6-2-2 Last 10 2-6-2
3.40 GF/G 3.17
2.70 GA/G 3.37
16.1 PP% 19.0
81.9 PK% 75.5
53.48  CF% 54.23
Pre-game quotes
Riley Barber

  • “I was a really big Penguins fan. I was there when they won the Stanley Cup in Detroit. I remember when Mario Lemieux bought the team. He had a kid a little bit older than me, and he was around the rink at times, so I saw him growing up.”
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders by All Habs
Forwards
Guentzel – Malkin – Rust
Kahun – McCann – Tanev
Aston-Reece – Blueger – Simon
Galchenyuk – Lafferty – Noesen		 Tatar – Danault – Gallagher
Lehkonen – Domi – Armia
Cousins – Suzuki – Weal
Peca – Thompson – Barber
Defensemen
Letang – Marino
Johnson – Schultz
Pettersson – Riikola		 Kulak – Weber
Chiarot – Petry
Leskinen – Fleury
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Ruhwedel
Injured: Crosby, Hornqvist, Bjustad, Dumoulin
 Scratched: Reilly, Folin
Injured: Drouin, Byron, Mete, Kotkaniemi
Goalies
Tristan Jarry Carey Price
Record: 7-4-0
GAA: – 1.81
Sv%: – .943
SO: 2
Alternate: Matt Murray		 Record: 12-9-3
GAA: – 3.04
Sv%: – .902
SO: 1
Alternate: Cayden Primeau
 What to Expect by Sam Gerber
The Penguins have been troubled with injuries but still are six points up on the Habs for one of the wildcard spots. The Habs and Pens are similar teams that both have injuries but the Habs have holes at center and defense while the Penguins have elite players that step up when players are down. It’s time some of the Habs take a bigger step up to make up for the injuries.
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