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

Sam Gerber

7 years ago

Game Preview by Sam Gerber, Staff Writer

Last game: TOR 4 MTL 3

Montreal got off to a good start as an ordinary-looking shot from Jeff Petry found the net to give the Habs a 1-0 lead. The Leafs then quickly replied with two goals. The two teams traded goals resulting in a tied game after 60 minutes. In overtime, Auston Matthews received a rolling puck from William Nylander and shelved it over Carey Price.

For a complete recap: Canadiens: Leafs End Losing Streak Against Habs

Players to watch

Brett Burns
Burns, the Norris Trophy winner from last season, will look to get going. After finishing with 76 points in 82 games in 2016-17, Burns has just one point in four games this season. The Habs will need to keep a close eye on him and can’t afford to give him space to make plays.
Joe Thornton
Thornton re-signed with the Sharks after his friend Patrick Marleau moved on to Toronto in the off-season. At 38 years old, Thornton has lost a step but is still one of the best setup players in the game. Like Burns, Thornton only has one point this season. Thornton is coming off a serious knee injury, devoting much of the off-season to rehab.
Joe Morrow
Morrow lwill be playing his first game as a Canadien taking Jordie Benn’s spot on the third pair. Morrow will want to take the most of this shot with the club.
Jonathan Drouin
Drouin played his best offensive game for the Habs on Saturday with a goal and an assist. Drouin must improve his defensive play and faceoffs to make an impact at centre for the Habs.
Martin Jones
In two seasons as a starter, Jones has been an underrated goaltender winning 37 and 35 games respectively. This season, Jones has just one win in three games and will look to get his second win on Tuesday versus the Habs.

Keys to Victory

Score first
Despite the importance of getting a strong start, the Canadiens have yet to win a game when they score first.
Be disciplined
The Canadiens would be wise to stay out of the box as the Sharks have the fifth ranked power-play in the league at a 28.6 per cent effectiveness.
Quality shots
The Sharks have limited teams to 29.3 shots per game this season. While the Canadiens have averaged 37.8 shots per game, the shots have been low risk from the perimeter. They will need to improve the quality of their shots.

Matchup
SAP Center, San Jose, CA. \| October 17, 10:30 PM ET \| TV: TSN, RDS, NBCSN
	2016-17 statistics
SHARKS	2016-17 statistics	CANADIENS
99 (11th)	Points (NHL rank)	103 (7th)
46-29-7	Record	47-26-9
26-11-4	Home	24-12-5
20-18-3	Away	23-14-4
4-6-0	Last 10	6-3-1
2.67	GF/G	2.72
2.44	GA/G	2.41
16.7	PP%	19.7
80.7	PK%	81.1
56.20	CF%	52.54
67.58	CF/60	58.77
52.67	CA/60	53.09

Advanced statistics at 5-on-5
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Labanc – Thornton – Pavelski Hertl – Couture – Karlsson Boedker – Tierney – Meier Hansen – Carpenter – Donskoi	Pacioretty – Drouin – Lehkonen Byron – Plekanec – Gallagher Hudon – Danault – Shaw Galchenyuk – Mitchell – Hemsky Expected scratches: De La Rose
Defensemen
Vlasic – Braun Ryan – Burns Dillon – Heed	Mete – Weber Alzner – Petry Morrow – Davidson Expected scratches: Benn, Schlemko
Goalies
Martin Jones (Confirmed)	Carey Price (Confirmed)

2016-’17 regular season: Record: 35-23-6 GAA: 2.40 Sv%: .912 SO: 2 Alternate: Aaron Dell	2016-’17 regular season: Record: 37-20-5 GAA: 2.23 Sv%: .923 SO: 3 Alternate: Al Montoya

What to Expect

Both teams are off to disappointing starts. The Sharks and Canadiens each have one win, both coming against the Buffalo Sabres. The Habs need a great start to their California road trip, which traditionally has been a tough part of the schedule.

Prediction

If the Habs can pot one of two goals early, they can roll to a 3-0 victory.

Highlights from the NHL

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2016-17 statistics