MONTREAL, QC. — The Montreal Canadiens opened the 2012 portion of their calendar with an explosive victory, at home against the Winnipeg Jets, in what ended as a 7-3 victory. That night will mostly be remembered for Lars Eller and his four-goal performance, including a beauty of a spin-o-rama on a penalty shot in the third period to seal the four-goal performance.
The Tampa Bay Lightning on the other hand, who the Canadiens face off against tonight, have not had success so far in 2012, losing both their games against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-3), and Ottawa Senators (4-1).
Both teams are familiar foes, having played against each other just ten days ago, a game which the Lightning had won at the hands of the Canadiens, 4-3 in Tampa Bay.
Here are a few stat bullets for tonight’s game:
| Game: |
- Tampa Bay Lightning vs Montreal Canadiens.
- Montreal Bell Centre.
- January 7, 2012.
- 7 PM.
| Canadiens: |
- Record of 3-7-0 in their last ten games.
- Won their last game against the Winnipeg Jets, 7-3. (In Montreal)
- Current Home Record: 6-7-6.
| Lightning: |
- Record of 5-4-1 in their last ten games.
- Lost their last two game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-3 (In Toronto), and Ottawa Senators, 4-1 (In Ottawa).
- Current Road Record: 6-14-3.
For tonight’s matchup, the Habs will have Carey Price in the net, while his opponent will be Mathieu Garon for the Lightning, the same matchup as ten days ago. Here is your goalie matchup:
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| Carey Price #31 | Mathieu Garon #32 | ||
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Career Against the Lightning:
Season Totals:
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Career Against the Canadiens:
Season – Total:
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Here are some additional stats:
| Carey Price: | |
Season Totals at Bell Centre:
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Other Odd Stats:
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| Mathieu Garon: | |
Career Totals at Bell Centre:
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Other Odd Stats:
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Both goaltenders are having what can be considered, good (not great) seasons under struggling teams, both who were in the playoffs last season but are currently very much on the outside looking in.
The conditions are right for the Canadiens to extend their winning steak to two games. The mood should be good in the Montreal Canadiens dressing room following their decisive win over Winnipeg.
On the other hand, the Lightning are finishing up their three-game Canadian road trip tonight in Montreal, with currently no wins under their belt.
None the less, it’s a battle of a team who can’t win at home against a team who can’t win on the road, so the result is less than predictable.
The Lightning do have players who are known to have success playing in Montreal, most notably:
Vincent Lecavalier:
- Games Played: 23
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 12
- Total Points: 20
Martin St. Louis:
- Games Played: 20
- Goals: 12
- Assists: 9
- Total Points: 21
| Bodog: |
Finally, Bodog has the Canadiens listed as favorite to win the game:
Money Line:
- Tampa Bay Lightning: +140
- Montreal Canadiens: -160
- 5.5
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If you haven’t met our resident mascot, Puck the Bunny, who also predicts the outcome of hockey games, I invite you to check out his latest as he predicts the outcome of tonight’s matchup between the Canadiens and the Lightning. [Video available here]
(Photo: AP)
(Video Highlights of Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning, December 29, 2011, nhl.com)