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

The Habs came out flying, Max Domi pounced on an open puck and scored less than a minute in. The Habs didn’t let up, they continued to dominate the Lightning until a bad penalty was taken by Nicolas Deslauriers. The momentum switched and the Bolts never looked back. The Habs had no answer the rest of the night and the Lightning dominated the rest of the game taking advantage of turnovers.

For a complete game recap: Habs Special Teams Don’t Measure Up

Players to watch

• Jeff Petry
  With Shea Weber out, Petry is the man who is being relied upon to fill his skates. It’s time for him to step-up as a leader and bring a physical element each shift the Habs lack.
• Jonathan Drouin
  Drouin had a bad start to the season, contributed for a couple of games and now has been invisible for the past five games. He’s been put in a position to succeed but has failed to do so, so far. He needs to produce on a nightly basis for the Habs to make it into the post-season.
• Andrew Shaw
  For two years, Shaw has dealt with multiple injuries, and he has never looked the same. The Habs acquired Shaw for a number of reasons, including his physical element, depth scoring, fearless playing style, and that he’s a big moment type of player. It’ll be interesting to see if Shaw can go back to the player he was before the injuries.

Keys to Victory

• Ramp up your compete level
  The Habs have to compete every shift, and can’t let one bad play dictate their game.
• Get physical
  The Habs are one of the top 3 in terms of hits but were out hit last game and they had no answer. Going up against a very physical Islanders team they need to be ready.
• Find a way
  So far this season the Habs have found a way to win, and they need to continue to do that. They have had some puck luck, but ultimately it’s because they don’t give up.