Site icon Habs Hockey Report

A Tough Test | PREVIEW: MTL @ DAL

Sam Gerber

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The Habs played a tight checking game but heavily relied on Jake Allen who stole a point for the Habs. In overtime, Jonathan Drouin made a strong rush to the net that sat in the crease for a split second before the Avs cleared it, springing them on a two-on-one to win the game. Hockey is a game of inches and this night it didn’t work out for the Habs but getting a single point against the defending champions should be considered a solid night.

Last game: MTL 1  COL 2  F/OT

For a complete game recap: Allen Steals a Point | RECAP: MTL @ COL

Players to Watch

  • Kirby Dach
    Dach played very well last game and controlled a lot of the play when he was on the ice. A big part was his strong skating and determination to win battles. That was the type of the player the Habs envisioned when they traded for him and hope to see a lot more of that.
  • Jonathan Drouin
    Drouin was noticeable for the first time this season. Drouin has put himself in a very difficult spot with a lot to prove. The Canadiens are giving him every opportunity to find his game so a trade partner will take notice.
  • Kaiden Guhle
    Guhle had one of his tougher games against the Avs. The heavy forecheck from the Avs caused some uncharacteristic turnovers. The positive is Guhle bent but didn’t break and finished the hard fought game strong.

Keys to Victory

  • Clear the puck
    Blown coverage and missed assignments were a downfall against the Avalanche. This is part of the fundamentals of the game and gave Jake Allen to have a heavy workload. It’s something that the Habs will want to clean up before taking on the Stars tonight.
  • Create offense
    The Habs offense has been struggling of late with the first line not generating a lot the rest of the team has to do their part. The Habs play a heavy offensive team in the Stars tonight so the Habs will have to fight offense with some offense of their own if they want a chance at winning.
  • Win special teams
    The Stars have a strong power-play and the Habs would be wise to not test it as a penalty-filled game against the Stars would be a recipe for disaster.
Statistical Matchup for Game 34
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX | December 23, 8:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, BSSWX

2022-23  statistics
STARS CANADIENS
44 (6th) Points (rank) 33 (23rd)
19-9-6 Record 15-15-3
L1 Streak OT1
5-3-2 Last 10 3-5-2
3.56 (5th) GF/G (rank) 2.70 (28th)
2.79 (9th) GA/G (rank) 3.46 (24th)
25.7 (9th) PP% (rank) 13.6 (32nd)
83.0 (4th) PK% (rank) 78.8 (16th)
55.0  Faceoff % 51.2
Pre-game Quotes
Marty St. Louis on the game in Denver
  • “We stole a point… If we had been able to collect two points, it would have been downright a burglary.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Robertson – Hintz – Pavelski
Kiviranta – Dellandrea – Seguin
Benn – Johnston – Marchment
Tufte – Faksa – Glendening		 Drouin – Suzuki – Armia
Caufield – Dach – Hoffman
Slafkovsky – Dvorak – Anderson
Pezzetta – Evans – Richard
Defensemen
Heiskanen – Lundkvist
Suter – Miller
Lindell – Hakanpaa		 Edmundson – Guhle
Harris – Kovacevic
Xhekaj – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Peterson, Hanley, Gurianov
Injured:		 Scratched: Pezzetta
Injured: Byron (hip), Price (knee),   (undisclosed), Gallagher (lower-body), Savard (upper-body injury), Monahan (lower-body), Matheson (lower-body)
Goalies
Jake Oettinger Jake Allen
Record: 13-4-3
GAA: 2.35
Sv%: .922
SO: 2
Alternate: Scott Wedgewood		 Record: 9-12-1
GAA: 3.33
Sv%: .897
SO: 0
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
It’s the last game before the Christmas break and the Habs are hoping Santa is getting them a win. The Habs have a possible three of four points so far on the road trip and a win against a strong Dallas team would make this a great start to the road trip. The Stars are first in their division but have some work to do to stay at the top. This is a game they think they should win and would be one to look back on if they don’t.

Bottom Line

As the underdog team the Habs will want to keep this a low scoring affair as the Stars offense can easily put up goals in a hurry.
 Video Highlights

Follow @AllHabs on Twitter

Exit mobile version