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Primeau to Start | PREVIEW: PHI @ MTL

Rick Stephens

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 (with contributions from Cole Jurzyniec)

A Look Back

On the positive side, it was Jesse Ylonen scoring the first goal of his NHL career. But it was the Penguins scoring twice in the third period to give a win to the Dark Side on Star Wars night in Pittsburgh.

Last game: MTL 2  PIT 5  F

For a complete game recap: 7th Loss in a Row | RECAP: MTL @ PIT

Players to Watch

  • Jeff Petry
    It’s no secret that Petry has struggled to find the net this season. But Petry hit his target directly after Tuesday’s game saying that the team plays with “no structure.” Ducharme claimed that they “took care of business” so we’ll see if the two have gotten on the same page.
  • Joel Armia
    At the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on Wednesday, heads were turned to see Armia practicing as part of the fourth defence pairing with Corey Schueneman for drills. Armia could find himself as a healthy scratch for Thursday’s game vs the Flyers.
  • Jonathan Drouin
    Drouin caused a stir on Monday saying that he was satisfied with his effort on the ice. To many reporters, it seemed tone deaf. It’s fair to say that Habs fans would love to see Drouin go on a scoring run to improve his trade value.

Keys to Victory

  • Dominate faceoffs
    The Canadiens struggled at the faceoff dot against the Penguins with a 37 percent success rate. Ranked 24th in the league on draws, Ducharme has to put his centermen in the best position to start with possession.
  • Be disciplined
    Montreal has taken the sixth most minor penalties in the league. With a penalty-kill that ranks 30th in the league that is a dangerous combination.
  • Start strong
    The Flyers dominated the first period of their game on Tuesday taking a 2-0 win to the first intermission on their way to a 6-1 trouncing of the Devils. The Habs must be prepared to start the game from the drop of the puck.
Statistical Matchup for Game 31
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | December 16, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, NBCSP+

2021-22  statistics
FLYERS CANADIENS
33 (24th) Points (rank) 15 (31st)
11-12-4 Record 6-21-3
W3 Streak L4
3-6-1 Last 10 1-8-1
2.63 (26th) GF/G (rank) 2.13 (30th)
3.22 (23rd) GA/G (rank) 3.57 (30th)
16.7 (26th) PP% (rank) 12.8 (30th)
80.9 (16th) PK%  (rank) 71.0 (30th)
53.8  Faceoff % 48.2
Pre-game Quotes
Dominique Ducharme
  • “I like Joel (Armia) as a player. He’s got size, skills. I believe in him. I’m sure if we ask him he wants to do more for the team, I’m sure. So we’re going to work with him like we work with everyone.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Laughton – Couturier – Konecny
Frost – Giroux – Atkinson
Willman – Hayes – van Riemsdyk
Lindblom – Brown – MacEwen		 Hoffman – Suzuki – Evans (GTD)
Drouin – Dauphin – Ylonen
Lehkonen – Poehling – Caufield
Pezzetta – Paquette – Perreault
Defensemen
Provorov – Braun
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Connauton		 Chiarot – Savard
Romanov – Petry
Kulak – Clague
Out of the lineup
Scratched:
Injured: Farabee, Morin, Ellis, Thompson, Brassard		 Scratched: Montembeault, Armia
Injured: Wideman (personal), Dvorak (lower-body), Toffoli (hand), Edmundson (back), Petry (upper-body), Anderson (upper-body), Price (knee), Byron (hip), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19 protocol: Gallagher, Niku
Goalies
Carter Hart Cayden Primeau
Record: 7-8-3
GAA: 2.80
Sv%: .915
SO: 1
Alternate: Martin Jones		 Record: 0-2-0
GAA: 4.82
Sv%: .877
SO: 0
Alternate: Jake Allen
 Game Expectations
The Flyers lost twice after interim head coach Mike Yeo took over but since then have  won three consecutive times scoring an average of five goals per game. The Canadiens will face a team who is competing and battling hard under their new coach.

Bottom Line

The Canadiens must find their purpose for the rest of the season. And head coach Dom Ducharme must establish a realistic vision that is supported by the players.
 Video Highlights

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