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Jets @ Canadiens: Begin Two Game Set | HABS PREVIEW

Sam Gerber

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

Game Preview

A Look Back

It was an inconsistent game from the Habs that allowed the Leafs to get the better of them, take advantage of some bounces and control the majority of the game. Several Habs players were quiet in this game except for Corey Perry who did his best job replacing Brendan Gallagher’s tenacity.

Last game: MTL 2  TOR  3  F

For a complete game recap: Canadiens @ Maple Leafs: Perry Stands Out

Players to Watch

  • Jeff Petry
    It will soon be a month since Petry has scored. His hot start offensively the season has completely cooled off and he has been mistake-prone defensively. The Habs can’t afford for it to continue.
  • Corey Perry
    It was the Perry show on Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs. Perry drew two penalties and scored twice. He was the only skater going for the Habs. It will be interesting to see if the 35-year-old forward can have the same type of impact in a back-to-back game.
  • Jonathan Drouin
    It’s been five straight games with no points for Drouin and 18 consecutive games without a goal. Drouin is supposed to be the Habs most talented forward. Inconsistency has been his biggest knock and it may be true that Drouin will never be a true high end forward in the NHL.

Keys to Victory

  • Maintain zone time
    The Habs struggled mightily last night with zone time, often getting hemmed in their own zone for long stints of time. Is terrible recipe for success that the Habs will want to change tonight.
  • Compete harder
    A big reason the Habs loss last night was they didn’t skate, often being beaten to 50-50 pucks. Coach Ducharme needs to spark his team tonight and get them moving.
  • Win special teams
    The Habs had a few chances to get themselves back in the game but their power-play was flat and only hurt their momentum. The 16th ranked power play looked like the 31st last night and it costed them dearly, hopefully some adjustments are made for tonight.   
Statistical Matchup
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | April 8, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, TSN3, RDS

2020-21 statistics
JETS CANADIENS
49 (12th) Points (rank) 43 (14th)
23-13-3 Record 17-10-9
12-7-1 Away/Home 8-6-2
5-4-1 Last 10 5-3-2
3.21 GF/G 3.19
2.69 GA/G 2.67
25.9 (3rd) PP% (rank) 21.0 (16th)
80.0 (13th) PK% (rank) 76.5 (24th)
48.17  CF% 56.49
Pre-game Quotes
Corey Perry
  • “It’s kind of what I’ve done my whole career, just being around the net. I’m playing with some good players. There are some really good players on this hockey team that can find you there. I feel confident and I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Connor – Scheifele – Ehlers
Stastny – Dubois – Copp
Perreault – Lowry – Appleton
Harkins – Thompson – Lewis		 Perry – Suzuki – Anderson
Drouin – Staal – Toffoli
Tatar – Danault – Kotkaniemi
Byron – Evans – Lehkonen
Defensemen
 Morrissey – Poolman
Forbort – Pionk
Stanley – Demelo		 Edmundson – Weber
Kulak – Petry
Romanov – Mete
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Niku, Vesalainen
Injured: Wheeler
 Scratched:
Injured: Chiarot (hand), Gallagher (hand), Price (lower-body), Armia (COVID protocol)
Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck Jake Allen
Record: 18-10-3
GAA: 2.54
Sv%: .918
SO: 1
Alternate: Laurent Brossoit		 Record: 5-4-3
GAA: 2.30
Sv%: .921
SO: 0
Alternate: Cayden Primeau
 Game Expectations
The Habs could win half of their remaining games and still have a great chance at making the playoffs. While a playoff spot is a goal the Habs are going to want to finish the season going much better than that.

Bottom Line

If the Habs want to be a true contender they need to start winning their remaining games convincingly and it starts with a solid win tonight.
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