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Last Road Stop | PREVIEW: MTL @ MIN

Sam Gerber

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

Game Preview

A Look Back

The Avalanche were the heaviest favorite to win in NHL history against the Habs. The Habs did manage to force overtime but as expected the Avalanche came out with the win. The last few games the Habs have played spirited hockey and haven’t gone down without a fight.

Last game: MTL 2  COL 3  F/OT

For a complete game recap: Earning A Point | RECAP: MTL @ COL

Players to Watch

  • Nick Suzuki
    Suzuki has heated up with five points in his last three games. It may be the addition of some familiar linemates again but it’s great to Suzuki back on last season’s scoring pace.
  • David Savard
    While the season didn’t start great for Savard he has started to turn it around. Savard will never rack up the points but he will eat minutes, block shots and never give up anything easy which is exactly what the Habs need right now.
  • Jeff Petry
    It is mind boggling that a defenceman can go from four straight seasons above 40 points to only four points half way through a season. The good news is two of those points have occurred in the last five games. Here’s hoping the second half of the season is the defenceman that fans have been accustomed to for the last four years.

Keys to Victory

  • Score with the man advantage
    The Habs power-play has now scored in five straight games. In a season filled with lows this is definitely something to highlight as the Habs power-play has been inconsistent for years. If this is something they can continue down the stretch it could lead to a few more points at the end of the season.
  • Maintain possession
    The Wild haven’t felt the injury bug like the Habs this season and will have plenty of depth to counter the Habs. The Habs need to win the possession game in order to control the game and not chase it.
  • Limit shots
    The Habs have been on the wrong end of shot totals the last few games and that’s a huge cause for concern as the Habs are last in the league in shooting percentage while the Wild are third.
Statistical Matchup for Game 41
Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, MN | January 24, 8:00 PM ET | TV: SN, RDS, ESPN+, BSN, BSWI

2021-22  statistics
WILD CANADIENS
51 (11th) Points (rank) 23 (32nd)
24-10-3 Record 8-25-7
W2 Streak OT2
5-3-2 Last 10 2-4-4
3.70 (3rd) GF/G (rank) 2.18 (32nd)
2.97 (17th) GA/G (rank) 3.65 (31st)
17.6 (21st) PP% (rank) 13.3 (31st)
79.7 (16th) PK%  (rank) 73.0 (30th)
48.2  Faceoff % 47.5
Pre-game Quotes
Ryan Poehling on his favorite Wild player growing up.
  • “I loved Zach Parise. He always worked hard.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Kaprizov – Hartman – Zuccarello
Fiala – Gaudreau – Boldy
Foligno – Eriksson Ek – Greenway
Dewar – Sturm – Duhaime		 Lehkonen – Suzuki – Toffoli
Pitlick – Evans – Anderson
Dauphin – Dvorak – Hoffman
Pezzetta – Poehling – Paquette
Defensemen
Spurgeon – Goligoski
Benn – Dumba
Kulikov – Merrill		 Chiarot – Savard
Kulak – Petry
Romanov – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched:
Injured: Brodin, Bjugstad
COVID-19:
Taxi squad:		 Scratched: Niku, Clague
Injured: Montembeault (upper-body),  Allen (lower-body), Byron (hip), Drouin (upper-body), Gallagher (lower-body), Perreault (lower-body), Edmundson (back), Price (knee), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19: Caufield, Armia
Taxi squad: Vejdemo, Schueneman
Goalies
Cam Talbot Cayden Primeau
Record: 15-8-1
GAA: 3.00
Sv%: .909
SO: 0
Alternate: Kaapo Kahkonen		 Record: 1-3-1
GAA: 3.84
Sv%: .898
SO: 0
Alternate: Michael McNiven
 Game Expectations
The Wild may be fourth in the Western Conference but sit in a wildcard seat due to their tough division. They are led by second year player, Kirill Kaprizov, who is four points away from tying his NHL points total. The Habs are going to have their hands full with not just him but the Wild are top 10 in goals for in the league. It won’t be easy as the Habs have given up the third most goals in the league but if the Habs have a similar compete level that they’ve had in the last few games they should make it a close game.

Bottom Line

This is a game where the Habs will be out matched once again but need to show their pride and compete level.
 Video Highlights

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