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

A Look Back

The Habs put up a tough fight against the trap game of the Flames, got a late lead then  didn’t give up a shot for over the last five minutes of the game. It was not fun to watch, it wasn’t pretty hockey but it was a win. Habs rookie Cole Caufield played his first NHL game.

Last game: MTL 2  CGY 1

For a complete game recap: Canadiens @ Flames: Hard Fought Win

Players to Watch

• Cole Caufield
  With some injuries to the top six Caufield has found a new line with Suzuki and Toffoli, it will be interesting to see the usage of the line but this should be a heavy offensive line for the Habs. .
• Jake Evans
  Since the acquisition of Eric Staal, Dom Ducharme has, more often than not, made Evans a healthy scratch. But Evans made an immediate impact against Calgary on Saturday night and played a strong game on in the series finale against the Flames.
• Josh Anderson
  After providing a spark for his team a a few games back Anderson has been quiet and has had no shots on goal in his last three games. Habs will need him to step up once again and find that spark on a nightly basis.

Keys to Victory

• Be prepared
  The Habs have to be ready for a fast pace game after fighting the trap for three games. The Leafs are a speed team and attack in waves, if the Habs arent on their toes early they could be in trouble.
• Agitate the Leafs
  The Leafs pushed the Jets around last game proving they aren’t to be messed with, that said the Habs have to find away to get under their skin, taking their focus off of the game.
• Win special teams
  The power-play for both teams have struggled for awhile now. While the Habs lack high end skill players that can dominate power plays the Leafs have a few of those, so the Habs can’t afford to give them any chances.

2020-21 statistics

• “[Eric Staal] talks a lot on the bench. I think we’re developing some some nice chemistry. He’s such an amazing player; he’s played in this League for a while and he just knows where to be. He’s so strong on the puck and really good on faceoffs, too, so he’s an easy guy to play with.”

Bottom Line