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Closing Out 2021 | PREVIEW: MTL @ CAR

Sam Gerber

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

It was an exciting and hard fought game for the Habs that saw several players get their first points as a member of the Habs. Some questionable calls, and a collapse at the end of the game cost the Habs, as they fell in overtime.

Last game: MTL 4  TBL 5  F/OT

For a complete game recap: A Night of Firsts | RECAP: MTL @ TBL

Players to Watch

  • Jonathan Drouin
    With the injuries and players out due to COVID protocol, Drouin has a chance to put the team on his back. With new management coming, Drouin needs to show he belongs in Montreal or he could be the first piece gone.
  • Rafael Harvey-Pinard
    It only took one game for Harvey-Pinard to score his first NHL goal. He is getting a good look at the NHL level and must make the most of his opportunity.
  • Alexander Romanov
    Romanov is getting a great chance for some big minutes and has been looking good. Romanov will turn 22 in the upcoming weeks which is a good reminder of just how young he is and how much more his game will improve.

Keys to Victory

  • Duplicate the effort
     It was nice to see a competitive hockey team that wasn’t going down without a fight. This could be a glimpse in what to expect during a rebuild but repeating that type of effort will be key.
  • Shut down an old friend
    Jesperi Kotkaniemi may have had a slow start to the season but he has been on a roll recently. Kotkaniemi has five points in his last three games and the Habs will need to defend him well.
  • Play the game
    Playing your game while battling the officials is next to impossible. The Habs have to focus on just playing their fame and controlling it rather than letting the refs control it for them.
Statistical Matchup for Game 33
PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC | December 30, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, BSSO

2021-22  statistics
HURRICANES CANADIENS
43 (3rd) Points (rank) 18 (31st)
21-7-1 Record 7-21-4
W2 Streak OT1
6-4-0 Last 10 2-6-2
3.28 (8th) GF/G (rank) 2.19 (31st)
2.14 (1st) GA/G (rank) 3.56 (29th)
22.5 (10th) PP% (rank) 12.0 (32nd)
88.7 (2nd) PK%  (rank) 72.7 (29th)
54.4  Faceoff % 48.0
Pre-game Quotes
Dominique Ducharme
  • “It’s a lot of players and we have more injuries. I have no solutions and that is one of the things we do not control. With regard to COVID-19, we are doing everything we can to protect our players, the staff. You just have to wait for the results and react. There is nothing more we can do.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Niederreiter – Aho – Teravainen
Svechnikov – Trocheck – Necas
Kotkaniemi – Staal – Jarvis
– Stepan – Lorentz		 Drouin – Suzuki – Gallagher
Harvey-Pinard – Poehling – Caufield
Belzile – Evans – Ylonen
Pezzetta – Paquette – Vejdemo
Defensemen
Slavin – DeAngelo
Skjei – Pesce
Cole – Bear		 Romanov – Savard
Kulak – Clague
Schueneman – Niku
Out of the lineup
Scratched:
Injured: Gardiner, Chatfield, Martinook, Fast
COVID-19: Smith, Andersen
Taxi squad: Noesen		 Scratched: Baddock
Injured: Armia (undisclosed), Perreault (undisclosed), Dvorak (lower-body), Anderson (upper-body), Price (knee),  Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19: Byron, Primeau, Allen, Chiarot, Edmundson, Petry, Wideman, Dauphin, Hoffman, Lehkonen, Toffoli, Belpedio, Fairbrother
Taxi squad: Hillis
Goalies
Antti Raanta Sam Montembeault
Record: 4-2-1
GAA: 2.37
Sv%: .907
SO: 0
Alternate: Alex Lyon		 Record: 1-4-2
GAA: 3.83
Sv%: .892
SO: 0
Alternate: Michael McNiven
 Game Expectations
The Habs have one of the highest outbreaks in the league but the game must go on. The league is already behind the ball and isn’t considering postponement to make them further behind. It will be a challenging game for the Habs but they showed a lot of fight last game and something they need will need to continue the rest of the season.

Bottom Line

A lot of question marks surrounding certain players ice times but its up to the players to earn the ice time they get.
 Video Highlights

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