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Familiar Faces | PREVIEW: PIT @ MTL

Sam Gerber

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The Habs have now lost two in a row after winning the season opener. It is evident the Habs are still a rebuilding team and several players are not only getting used to playing in the NHL but playing with each other. Nick Suzuki scored his first goal on a great individual effort which earned Arber Xhekaj his first point in the NHL.

Last game: MTL 1  WSH 3  F

For a complete game recap: Empty Road Trip | RECAP: MTL @ WSH

Players to Watch

  • Christian Dvorak
    One of the few vets on the team, Christian Dvorak was trusted with helping Juraj Slafkovsky’s adjustment in the first three games. Tonight Evgenii Dadonov takes Slafkovsky’s place on the left side as the coaching staff looks to build the right chemistry.
  • Jordan Harris
    Harris hasn’t looked out of place at all this season. With a blueline filled with rookies there is going to be some growing pains but so far Harris has done a great job showing he is capable of playing in the NHL.
  • Brendan Gallagher
    Gallagher has shown several signs of being the player he used to be, it’s great to see and the Habs can only hope he finds his scoring touch and that he is able to stay healthy for the whole season.

Keys to Victory

  • Take more shots
    The Habs haven’t done the greatest at generating offence so far this season, they need to keep it simple and it starts with getting a lot more shots.
  • Create a positive team atmosphere
    This season could be a long one for the Habs and with multiple young players on the team, it can be very difficult for them. Staying positive will be key for the Habs all year as one bad play might impact a game but focus on the negatives rather than the positives this season will hurt the Habs all year.
  • Win special teams
    If the Habs are able to have strong special teams this season it will keep them in several games. The power-play will take some work but staying out of the box will keep the penalty kill fresh.
Statistical Matchup for Game 4
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | October 17, 7:00 PM ET | TV: SNE, RDS, ESPN+, ATTSN-PT

2022-23  statistics
PENGUINS CANADIENS
4 (2nd) Points (rank) 2 (25th)
2-0-0 Record 1-2-0
W2 Streak L2
2-0-0 Last 10 1-2-0
6.00 (1st) GF/G (rank) 1.67 (29th)
2.00 (6th) GA/G (rank) 3.00 (19th)
40.0 (3rd) PP% (rank) 00.0 (31st)
66.7 (26th) PK%  (rank) 88.9 (9th)
60.0  Faceoff % 56.6
Pre-game Quotes
Kaiden Guhle
  • “Every kid from Canada grew up watching him; how great he is, one of the greatest of all time, so it’s going to be a surreal moment to get to play against him tonight and it’ll be exciting for sure.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Guentzel – Crosby – Rakell
Zucker – Malkin – Rust
Heinen – Carter – Kapanen
McGinn – Poehling – Archibald		 Caufield – Suzuki – Monahan
Dadonov – Dvorak – Gallagher
Drouin – Dach – Anderson
Slafkovsky – Evans – Hoffman
Defensemen
Dumoulin – Letang
Pettersson – Petry
Joseph – Rutta		 Guhle – Savard
Harris – Kovacevic
Xhekaj – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Ruhwedel
Injured: Blueger		 Scratched: Allen (parental leave), Pezzetta, Pitlick
Injured: Matheson (abdominal strain), Armia (upper-body), Edmundson (back), Heineman (finger), Byron (hip), Price (knee)
Goalies
Casey DeSmith Sam Montembeault
Record: 0-0-0
GAA: 0.00
Sv%: 1.000
SO: 0
Alternate: Tristan Jarry		 Record: 0-1-0
GAA: 3.08
Sv%: 0.897
SO: 0
Alternate: Cayden Primeau
 Game Expectations
The Penguins were able to keep the band together and added a few players in hopes for one more Cup run. They are off to a great start to the season with back-to-back 6-2 wins. They are a deep team that can score, and have a couple of familiar faces in the lineup with Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. Petry got his wish and was traded in the offseason to the Penguins and looks to be fitting in quite well. This will be a big test for the Habs as one of the youngest teams in the NHL will face one of the most experienced teams.

Bottom Line

The Habs don’t want to lose three in a row but not falling 6-2 and scoring more than one goal this game should be a good moral victory.
 Video Highlights

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