LEXINGTON, KY — This upcoming week the Canadiens are back home for two games then head to New York to play the Islanders. The previous week was a little hard to watch as the Habs went 1-2-1 but this week won’t be any easier as Montreal will face Tampa Bay, who’s just two points behind the Habs, and the Islanders who have been great all season.
Calendar: March 9 – March 15
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
HOME
HOME
AWAY
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Montreal Canadiens
The Habs (42-18-6) are coming off a 2-0 win against Arizona last Saturday and start their week Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Montreal is still first in the Atlantic Division and have moved up to second in the league with 90 points. They are 5-3-2 in their last ten games played.
Players to Watch
Max Pacioretty. Pacioretty has 31 goals this season and leads the Habs with 57 points – gaining two more in his last two games.
Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec has two assists in his last two games and 26 total this season. He also has three short-handed goals (3rd).
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
Led by Carey Price, who recorded his seventh shoutout of the season last Saturday against Arizona, Montreal’s goals against average is the best in the league at 2.17 goals against per game.
The Habs do a great job of keeping the puck out of their own net but struggle to score, averaging 2.59 goals a game (22nd).
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Tuesday
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning (41-20-6) are coming off a 5-4 win against Dallas last Saturday and start their week Tuesday at Montreal. Tampa Bay is second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the league with 88 points. They are 7-3-0 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
Tyler Johnson. Johnson has eight points in his last six games as well as a six-game point streak going. He leads the Lightning with 64 points this season (7th).
Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov has a goal in each of his last two games and 25 goals this season.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
Tampa Bay leads the league in scoring with an average of 3.28 goals per game.
The Lightning struggle to win faceoffs, only winning 49.4 per cent of the time.
The Senators (30-23-11) are coming off a 5-4 win against Calgary last Sunday and start their week Tuesday against Boston before playing Montreal Thursday. Ottawa is sixth in the Atlantic Division and 21st in the league with 71 points. They are 8-1-1 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad is currently enjoying a seven-game point streak and a total of 37 points this season.
Mark Stone. Stone has four points in his last three games and 43 points this season.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The Senators get a lot of scoring chances, averaging 30.7 shots a game and their penalty-kill is strong at 82.9 per cent.
Ottawa allows an average of 32.6 shots per game and they struggle in the faceoff circle with a 47.6 per cent win percentage.
The Islanders (42-21-4) last game was a 4-3 overtime loss against Florida last Saturday. They will play Ottawa Friday before hosting Montreal Saturday. The Islanders are first in the Metropolitan Division and fourth in the league with 88 points. They are 5-2-3 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
John Tavares. Tavares has five points in his last two games and leads the league with 70 points this season.
Josh Bailey. Bailey has two goals in his last three games and 34 points this season.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The New York Islanders have a strong offence that averages 3.09 goals per game.
The Islanders penalty-kill is one of the worst in the league at 75.4 per cent (29th).
