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Primeau to Start | PREVIEW: MTL @ PHI

Cole Jurzyniec

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

Jordan Harris opened the scoring 1:22 into the game, picking up his own rebound. Lukas Rousek of Buffalo, scored his first NHL goal in his debut on his first shift. Brendan Gallagher was able to find net to secure his 200th NHL goal and tie the game sending the match to overtime. Ultimately the game ended with a shoot-out where one of the most unlikely players, Michael Pezzetta netted the winner, roofing it on Eric Comrie.

Last game: MTL 4  BUF 3  F/SO

For a complete game recap: (see video highlights below)

Players to Watch

  • Jordan Harris
    Since his return from injury, the 22-year-old Harris has been nothing short of amazing. He’s contributed a goal and an assist in the last two games and has posted an impressive plus-4 rating. Harris has been quintessential for the line-up, and will be looking to close out the season strong.
  • Brendan Gallagher
    The Albertan native has struggled immensely with injuries this season only playing 28 games out of the 74 games, however, since his return on March 21st, he has been able to contribute to the stat sheet, scoring three points (2G-1A) in the last four games.
  • Jesse Ylonen
    The 6-foot American product has caught fire at the end of the regular season.In the previous six games Ylönen has managed to scrounge together six points (4G-2A), and has been a large reason for the clubs success. Ylonen scored in a pressure situation in the shootout to keep the Habs hopes alive last night. He’ll be looking for a permanent spot on the team next season so it’s expected we’ll see a full effort from the Arizona native to close out the season.
  • Cayden Primeau
    Primeau will be making his first start of the season for the Canadiens in a place he considers home. Primeau’s only NHL action this season came in a mop up role on January 19th after Sam Montembeault gave up six goals in a tough start against the Florida Panthers.

Keys to Victory

  • Conserve energy
    Coming off a back-to-back after a long night in Buffalo, the Canadiens will be fatigued. Keeping shifts short and managing ice-time will be key to finding a win in Philadelphia.
  • Shoot your shot
    After Monday night, it’s first time in months since the Canadiens have found over 40 shots. The last time they did was on November 17th (56 games ago), when they played the Columbus Blue Jackets. Taking shots will generate opportunities for the team which was displayed versus the Sabres.
  • Get offence from defence
    The Canadiens have faired well when they get production from the back-end, continuing the defensive dominance will attribute to a victory.
Statistical Matchup for Game 75
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA | March 28, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, NBCSP

2022-23  statistics
FLYERS CANADIENS
68 (26th) Points (rank) 66 (28th)
28-32-12 Record 30-38-6
W3 Streak W2
5-4-1 Last 10 4-5-1
2.68 (30th) GF/G (rank) 2.84 (26th)
3.26 (21st) GA/G (rank) 3.66 (28th)
15.6 (32nd) PP% (rank) 17.1 (28th)
74.9 (27th) PK% (rank) 73.2 (29th)
45.6  Faceoff % 48.6
Pre-game 
Michael Pezzetta on his shootout celebration
  • “I wanted to pay tribute to ‘Tiger’ Williams. I also thought that I might never have this chance again. It was maybe a little too much, but I found it funny. I will keep this in my memories for a long time.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Farabee – Cates – Tippett
van Riemsdyk – Hayes – Bellows
Lemieux – Frost – Allison
Deslauriers – Laughton		 Harvey-Pinard – Suzuki – Hoffman
Drouin – Dach – Gurianov
Ylonen – Evans – Gallagher
Pezzetta – Belzile – Farrell
Defensemen
Provorov – York
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Seeler – DeAngelo – Braun		 Matheson – Savard
Edmundson – Barron
Harris – Kovacevic
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Laczynski
Injured: Couturier, Konecny, Hart		 Scratched: Wideman, Pitlick, , Tierney, Allen
Injured: Byron (hip), Price (knee), Monahan (lower-body), Slafkovsky (lower-body), Caufield (shoulder), Xhekaj (upper-body), Armia (illness), Dvorak (lower-body), Guhle (lower-body), Anderson (lower-body)
Goalies
Felix Sandstrom Cayden Primeau
Record: 1-10-2
GAA: 3.49
Sv%: .884
SO: 0
Alternate: Samuel Ersson		 Record: 0-0-0
GAA: 3.00
Sv%: .857
SO: 0
Alternate: Sam Montembeault
 Game Expectations
It’s anticipated to be an aggressive matchup.  With both teams struggling this season, they have absolutely nothing to lose and will be looking to gain a moral victory.  The Habs have the Flyers number this year, so far winning both matches and will be looking to put the Flyers to rest in their third and final meet-up.

Bottom Line

The injury report has improved with a few names back in the line-up. This will aid the Habs moving forward to finish off the season on a more positive note.
 Video Highlights

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