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Reverse Retros Return | PREVIEW: SEA @ MTL

Cole Jurzyniec

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The Blues’ Brandon Saad opened the scoring on an odd man rush with just 33 seconds remaining in the first period. Joel Armia potted his second goal of the season finding top-shelf on Jordan Binnington and was able to add another in the third. Josh Anderson tapped in a gimme to cap off a much-needed win at home, breaking the Habs seven game losing skid.

Last game: MTL 5  STL 4  F

For a complete game recap: Armia Scores Twice | RECAP: STL @ MTL

Players to Watch

  • Joel Armia
    The 29-year-old Finnish winger had tallied only four points (1G-3A) in 26 games prior to the last two, where he was able to contribute with three goals. With the monkey off of his back, it’s possible that Armia could be picking up the heat part-way through the season and start putting up more points for the team.
  • Cole Caufield
    The 22-year-old Wisconsin native continues to run hot. He’s been able to find net four times in the past four games and has now accumulated 23 goals in 40 games played sitting in the top ten for scoring in the NHL. At such a young age, this type of production now could transcribe into elite-level numbers in the future.
  • Jake Evans
    Evans has been playing a strong two-way game all season.He’s been critical on the penalty kill, averaging a 52.1 win percentage in the faceoff dot, and as of recent, has contributed with three assists in the past two games. The 6-foot-1-inch centreman continues to be an essential piece bolstering the bottom-six.

Keys to Victory

  • Shoot the puck
    The last time these two teams met was back at the start of December. The Canadiens managed just 16 shots on goal and miraculously still found a win. The Habs are sitting 30th in the league with an average shooting percentage of 28, so generating more chances will be key in shutting down the Kraken.
  • Kill the momentum
    Seattle is coming to the Bell Centre on a hot-streak winning four consecutive games, with a chip on their shoulder. They will be bringing fast paced, confident hockey and the Habs need to man the fort and shut down a hot team.
  • Get secondary scoring
    After a big win against the Blues, it’s obvious that when the team as a whole contributes to the stat sheet, the bottom-six finds confidence and alleviates pressure for the top lines to constantly produce.
Statistical Matchup for Game 41
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | January 9, 7:30 PM ET | TV: SN, RDS, ESPN+, ROOT-NW

2022-23  statistics
KRAKEN CANADIENS
48 (12th) Points (rank) 35 (27th)
22-12-4 Record 16-21-3
W4 Streak W1
6-3-1 Last 10 2-7-1
3.66 (3rd) GF/G (rank) 2.63 (29th)
3.18 (18th) GA/G (rank) 3.80 (29th)
21.6 (17th) PP% (rank) 15.1 (32nd)
68.8 (31st) PK% (rank) 73.6 (24th)
45.0  Faceoff % 49.8
Pre-game Quotes
Josh Anderson on Joel Armia
  • “Army, he’s been outstanding the last couple games; very dominant in the offensive zone creating those chances for himself and he’s getting rewarded so you just got to keep working.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Burakovsky – Beniers – Eberle
Schwartz – Wennberg – McCann
Tolvanen – Gourde – Bjorkstrand
Tanev – Donato – Sprong		 Caufield – Suzuki – Dach
Slafkovsky – Dvorak – Anderson
Dadonov – Evans – Armia
Pezzetta – Drouin – Hoffman
Defensemen
Larsson – Dunn
Oleksiak – Schultz
Soucy – Borgen		 Edmundson – Savard
Harris – Kovacevic
Xhekaj – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Fleury, Geekie
Injured: Donskoi, Driedger		 Scratched: Barron, Richard
Injured: Byron (hip), Price (knee), Monahan (lower-body), Matheson (lower-body), Guhle (lower-body), Gallagher (lower-body), Allen (upper-body)
Goalies
Martin Jones Sam Montembeault
Record: 18-5-3
GAA: 2.89
Sv%: .891
SO: 1
Alternate: Phillip Grubauer		 Record: 6-5-2
GAA: 3.44
Sv%: .897
SO: 0
Alternate: Cayden Primeau
 Game Expectations
The Kraken are firing on all cylinders, but with a big win at home, the Canadiens have  regained some confidence and it should translate on the ice. This will be a fast-moving game with lots of chances as Seattle has been an offensive powerhouse scoring 18 goals in their previous three games.

Bottom Line

Although it was a grim December, losing 11 out of their 15 matches, the Canadiens are looking to turn the tide in 2023 and bring some strong hockey to the ice.
 Video Highlights

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