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Habs Debut for Clague | PREVIEW: TBL @ MTL

Rick Stephens

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The final score flattered the Canadiens who were massively outshot and outchanced throughout the first and third periods of this game. It was one of the stronger games of the year for Jake Allen who is beginning to turn around his tough start to the season.

Last game: MTL 3  NSH 4  F/OT

For a complete game recap: Stealing A Point | RECAP: MTL @ NSH

Players to Watch

  • Kale Clague
    Newly acquired defenceman Clague says that he is ready to become a full-time player in the NHL. “My greatest quality is my skating. I have good vision. I try to get the puck back to the forwards and let them do the rest,” said Clague. He will be in the lineup tonight wearing No. 43.
  • Laurent Dauphin
    Dominique Ducharme said that Dauphin “has a good chance of playing” against the Lightning. Dauphin has 11 goals, five assists for 16 points in 18 games with the Laval Rocket this season.
  • Artturi Lehkonen
    Lehkonen has tallied three goals, three assists for six points, all recorded at even strength, in the past 10 games. Lehkonen is third on the Habs in shots on goal with 22 in the same time frame.

Keys to Victory

  • Play the matchups
    At home Dominique Ducharme will be able to create line battles that he wants. The Canadiens fourth line is totally outmatched on paper so Ducharme may have to shorten the bench early.
  • New look on the power-play
    Will newcomer Kale Clague be the puck-moving quarterback that the Habs power-play has missed all season? That’s unlikely but Clague should get plenty of opportunities to succeed with the man advantage.
  • Next man up
    The Canadiens continue to be near the top of the NHL’s man-games lost to injury board. But injuries create opportunities for the players who remain in the lineup. They will have to take advantage of greater exposure and responsibility.
Statistical Matchup for Game 27
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | December 7, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, BSSUN

2021-22  statistics
LIGHTNING CANADIENS
34 (7th) Points (rank) 15 (31st)
15-5-4 Record 6-17-3
W3 Streak OT1
7-2-1 Last 10 2-7-1
3.29 (8th) GF/G (rank) 2.27 (29th)
2.63 (7th) GA/G (rank) 3.58 (29th)
20.0 (13th) PP% (rank) 13.6 (28th)
83.6 (11th) PK%  (rank) 71.2 (30th)
49.2  Faceoff % 48.3
Pre-game Quotes
Dominique Ducharme
  • “Every time you’re in a situation like this, you have to control what you can control. So, the way we compete and work, and to really be alert in the way we do things and our structure. But, it starts with the way we compete.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Palat – Stamkos – Joseph
Killorn – Cirelli – Fortier
Katchouk – Colton – Raddysh
Maroon – Bellemare – Perry		 Hoffman – Suzuki – Drouin
Lehkonen – Dvorak – Evans
Perreault – Poehling – Caufield
Pezzetta – Paquette – Dauphin
Defensemen
Hedman – Rutta
McDonagh – Bogosian
Sergachev – Foote		 Chiarot – Savard
Romanov – Wideman
Kulak – Clague
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Claesson, Sustr
Injured: Seabrook, Kucherov, Point, Cernak, Smith		 Scratched: Schueneman
Injured: Armia (undisclosed), Toffoli (upper-body), Edmundson (back), Petry (upper-body), Anderson (upper-body), Price (knee), Byron (hip), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19 protocol: Gallagher, Niku
Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy Jake Allen
Record: 12-4-3
GAA: 2.13
Sv%: .927
SO: 2
Alternate: Brian Elliott		 Record: 5-11-2
GAA: 3.01
Sv%: .907
SO: 2
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
This game hardly feels like the Stanley Cup rematch fans expected when the schedule was released. The Canadiens have fallen to 31st overall in the standings, below even the Ottawa Senators. Corey Perry will make his return to Montreal after signing a two-year contract with the Lightning in the off-season.

Bottom Line

The situation has changed considerably since these two teams competed for the Cup last July. The Canadiens must work hard in every zone and tap into some of the emotion that carried the team to Game 5 of the Finals against the Bolts.
 Video Highlights

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