LEXINGTON, KY — This upcoming week the Canadiens play three at home, facing Philadelphia, Edmonton, and Toronto. Last week the Habs went 2-1 with a huge offensive in the 6-2 win against New Jersey and a season sweep of Boston.
Calendar: February 9 – 15
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Montreal Canadiens
The Habs (34-15-3) are coming off a 3-1 win against Boston last Sunday and start their three-game home series Tuesday against the Flyers. Montreal is second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the league with 71 points. They are 7-3-0 in their last ten games played.
Players to Watch
Dale Weise. Weise had an impressive performance all last week on the top line with Max Pacioretty, ending up with three goals and a total of five points in his last three games.
David Desharnais. Desharnais has accumulated seven points over his last four games, including three assists in the 6-2 win against the Devils.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
Montreal still leads the league with the fewest goals against per game. Their average is 2.23 goals against a game. The Habs’ penalty-kill has been great all season. At 84.5 per cent (5th), it’s not a death sentence when they go down a man.
The Canadiens’ goals per game average and power-play have struggled all year (G/G – 2.62, PP% – 17.5) but did see some progress last week with a couple power-play goals and the six goals scored last Saturday, but both stats are still pretty low in the standings with plenty of room for improvement.
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Tuesday
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers (23-22-8) are coming off a 3-1 win against Washington last Sunday and start their week against Montreal Tuesday. Philadelphia is fifth in the Metropolitan Division and 22nd in the league with 54 points. They are 6-3-1 in their last ten games. Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason was injured in the second period of the Flyers-Capitals game and did not make the trip to Montreal. Anthony Stolarz has been called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and will back up Ray Emery on the Flyers road trip.
Players to Watch
Claude Giroux. Giroux had two assists in his last game but was pointless the three games before that, however, he’s still a threat on the ice with 54 points this season. With 187 shots (6th), the Habs will have to stay in his shooting lane and minimize his shots on net.
Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds has five points in his last five games and 11 power-play goals this season (4th).
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The Flyers have a strong power-play at 23.7 per cent this season (3rd).
Philadelphia’s penalty-kill is really struggling at 75.3 per cent (28th) and might be a chance for Montreal to raise their power-play even more.
The Oilers (14-30-9) last game was a 5-1 loss against Toronto last Saturday. They will play the Islanders Tuesday before heading to Montreal for Thursday’s game. Edmonton is seventh in the Pacific Division and 29th in the league with 37 points. They are 4-6-0 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
Jordan Eberle. Eberle has three goals in his last four games but has been pointless in his last two games played.
Teddy Purcell. Purcell has been playing on the first line lately and has two points in his last five games.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
Edmonton has had a rough season but they do a good job of limiting their opponent’s shots to an average of 29.5 per game.
The Oilers struggle to keep the puck out of their net, averaging 3.28 goals against (29th) and their power-play is pretty quiet at just 13.0 per cent this season.
The Maple Leafs (23-27-4) last game was a 5-1 win against Edmonton last Saturday, ending an 11-game losing streak. They will play the Islanders Thursday and Montreal Saturday. Toronto is sixth in the Atlantic Division and 24th in the league with 50 points. They are 1-8-1 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
Phil Kessel. Kessel has three points in his last five games and he’s always a scoring threat.
Mike Santorelli. Santorelli has two goals in his last three games and 29 points this season.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The Maple Leafs might lead the league in jerseys thrown on the ice but one area they actually excel in is their penalty-kill at 83.4 per cent (9th).
Toronto’s defence and goalies have been struggling lately and average 3.02 goals against per game (25th).
