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Cellar of the East | PREVIEW: MTL @ NJD

Cole Jurzyniec

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

It was a back and forth battle against the Senators, with the Canadiens keeping it close until the third period when Ottawa scored three unanswered goals. Brendan Gallagher scored his sixth goal of the season in his return from injury. The highlight of the night  was Justin Barron scoring his first NHL goal on a beautiful, bar down wrist shot.

Last game: MTL 3  OTT 6  F

For a complete game recap: First Goal For Barron | RECAP: OTT @ MTL

Players to Watch

  • Brendan Gallagher
    After missing eight games, Gallagher made a splash in his return, tallying two points and racking up 12 minutes in penalties. He’s having his worst career season with only 16 points in 44 games.
  • Joel Edmundson
    The 28-year-old defenseman has just a goal and an assist since his return on March 12th. He has recorded 22 minutes of penalties in those 12 games. Edmundson will be relied on to be a stable partner for one of the young defencemen for the rest of the season.
  • Alexander Romanov
    The Russian defenseman is logging heavy ice-time and proving he can handle the pressure. The 6-foot-1-inch defender has matured over the season and could be an important piece to the line-up next year.  Romanov is 16th in the NHL with 204 hits.

Keys to Victory

  • Be disciplined
    The Canadiens have given up five powerplay goals in their past three games. Playing more disciplined hockey would obviously aid in their success.
  • Play with confidence
    Luke Richardson praised his three young defencemen, namely Justin Barron, Jordan Harris and Alexander Romanov. They are at different stages of development but will be asked to learn quickly.
  • Clear the zone
    With a collective 19 turnovers against the Senators, the Canadiens need to take better care of the puck and make better decisions particularly in their own zone.
Statistical Matchup for Game 71
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ | April 7, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, MSG+2

2021-22  statistics
DEVILS CANADIENS
54 (29th) Points (rank) 49 (32nd)
24-40-6 Record 19-40-11
L2 Streak L1
2-7-1 Last 10 3-4-3
3.01 (17th) GF/G (rank) 2.54 (31st)
3.67 (29th) GA/G (rank) 3.80 (31st)
17.4 (26th) PP% (rank) 13.7 (31st)
80.2 (14th) PK%  (rank) 74.0 (29th)
46.8  Faceoff % 48.3
Pre-game Quotes
Luke Richardson on Jordan Harris
  • “He’s matured, he’s an effortless skater, and I think that’s a huge thing in our league.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Sharangovich – Hischier – Bratt
Tatar – Zacha – Mercer
Kuokkanen – Boqvist – Zetterlund
Greer – McLeod – Johnsson		 R. Pitlick – Suzuki – Caufield
Hoffman – Evans – Anderson
Armia  – Dvorak – Gallagher
T. Pitlick – Poehling – Ylonen
Defensemen
Siegenthaler – Severson
Graves – Hamilton
Smith – Subban		 Edmundson – Romanov
Clague – Savard
Schueneman – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched: White, Geertsen
Injured: Hughes, Bernier, Blackwood, Bastian, Gillies, Vesey		 Scratched: Lagesson, Perreault, Dauphin, Harris
Injured: Byron (undisclosed), Barron (lower-body), Pezzetta (upper-body), Petry (lower-body), Drouin (upper-body), Price (knee), Weber (multiple injuries)
Goalies
Nico Daws Jake Allen
Record: 8-11-0
GAA: 3.31
Sv%: .890
SO: 0
Alternate: Andrew Hammond		 Record: 8-20-4
GAA: 3.27
Sv%: .905
SO: 2
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
The Devils will be looking to end their four game winless streak. They will be without their young star Jack Hughes due to an injury, but have many other studs on their team who can produce.

Bottom Line

The last time the Canadiens beat the Devils was February 4th, 2020 when Ilya Kovalchuk scored the shootout winner for the team.
 Video Highlights

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