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

Sam Gerber

January 19, 2019

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

Game Preview by Sam Gerber

Last game : MTL 4 CBJ 1 Tomas Tatar came back to life in dramatic fashion, scoring two big goals while Joel Armia sealed the game with two of his own. Carey Price continued his stellar play as Columbus outshot and out chanced Montreal. Getting an early two goal lead was big for the Habs as Claude Julien was able to balance icetime meaning players would not be fatigued for the second half of a back-to-back against the Flyers.

For a complete game recap: Tatar, Price Lead Habs Past CBJ

Players to watch

Phillip Danault
Danault continues to be one of the best Habs lately He is playing with confidence and it has impacted his game greatly. Danault and Brendan Gallagher are doing all of the heavy lifting on their line providing an opportunity for Jonathan Drouin to deliver offence.
Jordie Benn
Benn recently reached the 100 career point mark and is playing in a role that suits him. Playing his best hockey gives Marc Bergevin in a good position to trade Benn by the deadline.
Jonathan Drouin
Despite his linemates clearing the decks for him, Drouin couldn’t muster a shot on goal against Columbus. Drouin’s effort level is still a big issue despite the enormous leash provided by his coach.

Keys to Victory

Attack the zone
The Flyers are strong offensive team that struggle with keeping the puck out and the Habs have to attack that. The Habs need to be the aggressor keeping the Flyers offense stuck in their own end.
Get traffic in front
The Flyers have used more goalies this season than any other team in the NHL and are currently using rookie Carter Hart. He’s done well so far but if the Habs can get some traffic in front and not make it easy from him he’ll be in for a long night.
Win special teams
The Flyers can be a scary special teams unit. They are deploying five forwards on their power-play, with each being elite goal-scorers. They also aren’t afraid to take chances on the penalty-kill. Habs have to win the special teams battle to have a chance.

Matchup by All Habs staff
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC \| January 19, 7:00 PM ET \| TV: CBC, TVAS,
	2018-19 statistics
FLYERS	2018-19 statistics	CANADIENS
42 (26th)	Points (rank)	57 (12th)
18-23-6	Record	27-17-5
8-13-3	Away/Home	13-9-2
3-6-1	Last 10	7-3-0
2.81	GF/G	3.02
3.55	GA/G	2.92
13.5	PP%	12.7
76.1	PK%	79.5
50.57	CF%	53.72



Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Van Riemsdyk – Giroux – Konecny Lindblom – Couturier – Voracek Laughton – Patrick – Simmonds Lehtera – Varone – Raffl	Drouin – Danault – Gallagher Tatar – Domi – Lehkonen Hudon – Kotkaniemi – Armia Agostino – Chaput – Deslauriers
Defensemen
Provorov – Sanheim Gostisbehere – MacDonald Hagg – Gudas	Mete – Weber Reilly – Petry Kulak – Benn
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Folin, Weise Injured: Knight, Elliot, Stolarz, Neuvirth	Scratched: Peca, Alzner Injured: Shaw Suspended: Byron
Goalies
Carter Hart	Antti Niemi

Record: 5-5-1 GAA: – 2.72 Sv%: – .915 SO: 0 Alternate: Mike McKenna	Record: 8-4-1 GAA: – 3.62 Sv%: – .897 SO: 0 Alternate: Carey Price

What to Expect by Sam Gerber

Since being embarrassed by the Blues, the Canadiens have put together four straight wins that has helped them separate themselves from non-playoff teams. A win tonight would put the Habs a point ahead of the Maple Leafs (with Toronto holding three games in hand.) The Flyers are last in the East and have given up a lot of goals. Struggling to keep the puck out of their net has effected the Flyers offense. That being said Montreal cannot take the Flyers lightly. If the Canadiens can keep the shots against low, they’ll have a good chance at making it five straight wins.

Highlights from the NHL

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2018-19 statistics