GAME DAY | Canadiens – Blues: Preview, Prediction, Lines, Goalies, TV

Sam Gerber

January 30, 2018

GAME DAY | Canadiens – Blues: Preview, Prediction, Lines, Goalies, TV

Game Preview by Sam Gerber

Last game: MTL 5 CAR 6

The Habs abandoned the defensive part of their game and paid for it dearly. It was a surprising high scoring game where both teams did not play their best. The quick responses by the Hurricanes after giving up goals was the difference maker.

For a complete recap: Habs Defenceless Against Canes

Players to watch

Brayden Schenn
Fresh off his All-Star weekend, Schenn is having a career season with the Blues and will cause headaches for the Canadiens.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Tarasenko is one the leagues elite snipers and is capable of creating something out of nothing.
Victor Mete
Mete may not be putting up the points but his mobility, speed and instinct helps the Habs at all ends of the ice. The points will start to come as he becomes even more comfortable in the NHL.

Keys to Victory

Be prepared
The Canadiens have failed to be ready numerous times and let winnable games get away.
Play sound defensive hockey
The Habs need to play much better in their own zone after giving up six goals last game.
Give consistent effort
The effort level needs to be consistently strong for the full 20 minutes of each period and for all three periods.

Matchup by All Habs staff
Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO \| January 30, 8:00 PM ET \| TV: TSN2, RDS, FS-MW
	2017-18 statistics
BLUES	2017-18 statistics	CANADIENS
63 (7th)	Points (rank)	46 (26th)
30-18-3	Record	20-23-6
17-10-0	Home/Away	8-13-1
6-3-1	Last 10	4-4-2
2.84	GF/G	2.59
2.55	GA/G	3.14
16.2	PP%	19.6
82.3	PK%	78.3
51.31	CF%	51.16


Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Barbashev – Stastny – Tarasenko Schwartz – Schenn – Steen Sobotka – Berglund – Thompson Upshall – Brodziak – Jaskin	Pacioretty – Byron – Hudon Galchenyuk – Drouin – Deslauriers Lehkonen – Plekanec – Gallagher De La Rose – Froese – L. Shaw
Defensemen
Edmundson – Pietrangelo Bouwmeester – Parayko Dunn – Bortuzzo	Alzner – Petry Mete – Schlemko Morrow – Jerabek
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Gunnarsson, Sundqvist, Thorburn Injured: Sanford	Scratched: Benn, Carr Injured: Weber, Hemsky, Danault, A. Shaw
Goalies
Carter Hutton	Carey Price

Record: 12-4-1 GAA: 1.74 Sv%: .943 SO: 2 Alternate: Jake Allen	Record: 14-16-4 GAA: 2.93 Sv%: .908 SO: 1 Alternate: Antti Niemi

What to Expect

Prediction: Canadiens 2 Blues 4

St. Louis has ten more wins than the Canadiens this season and are capable of scoring in bunches. The Habs will need to come out strong against the Blues and compete for a full 60 minutes to have the best chance at a win.

Highlights from the NHL

Quick Links from Rocket Sports Media publications
	[wp_rss_multi_importer category=”3″ thisfeed=”8″ showdate=”0″]


	[wp_rss_multi_importer category=”6″ showdate=”0″]

Tickets


Get Habs Tickets
Need tickets for an upcoming Canadiens game? Click the following link for the best prices on available tickets: Montreal Canadiens Tickets

Follow @AllHabs on Twitter

2017-18 statistics