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Rivalry Renewed | PREVIEW: OTT @ MTL

Cole Jurzyniec

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

Game Preview 

A Look Back

The Canadiens handled the Philadelphia Flyers with ease in their own barn. They commenced the match with two unanswered goals, both in the dying minutes of the first period. Chris Tierney was able to find mesh in his first appearance with the Habs with the rest of the team following suit: David Savard, Nick Suzuki, Jesse Ylönen and Josh Anderson also adding to the score sheet.

Last game: MTL 5  PHI 2  F

For a complete game recap: Ylonen, Hoffman Lead the Way | RECAP: MTL @ PHI

Players to Watch

  • Nick Suzuki
    The 23-year-old captain has been somewhat hot and cold throughout this difficult season, however, when he gets hot, he remains hot for a period of time. The London native has found net twice in the last two games adding an assist while also displaying his calm and quick puck moving abilities.
  • Jesse Ylonen
    The Arizona native has been nothing short of amazing.The 6-foot winger continues to drive offense and provide to the stat-sheet. Ylönen has one goal and four assists in his last six games with lower average ice-time which simply proves his dominance and hunger to his development with the club.
  • Mike Hoffman
    The offensively-minded winger has been a contributing piece in getting the Canadiens five wins out of their last eight games. Oddly enough, the usual suspect for lighting the lamp has eight assists and only one goal but has been evident in applying pressure, especially on the power play.

Keys to Victory

  • Keep scoring
    The Canadiens have 10 goals in their last two games, continuing to throw pucks on net and applying offensive pressure are all key aspects in their recent success.
  • Make clean transitions
    Last night, the team was on their ‘A’ game creating clean breakout passes, rotating the puck cleanly in the offensive zone and overall, playing a flawless transitional game.
  • Avoid the penalty kill
    The Habs did a fantastic job avoiding poor penalties and instead drew them and actually managed to find a powerplay goal last night in Philly. Ottawa is a quick team that can easily beat guys leaving them flat-footed and in turn, make teams take bad penalties.
Statistical Matchup for Game 59
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC | February 25, 7:00 PM ET | TV: NHLN, CBC, SNE, SNO, TVAS

2022-23  statistics
SENATORS CANADIENS
58 (23rd) Points (rank) 54 (26th)
27-26-4 Record 25-29-4
L2 Streak W2
6-3-1 Last 10 5-4-1
2.98 (22nd) GF/G (rank) 2.71 (27th)
3.21 (18th) GA/G (rank) 3.60 (27th)
25.1 (6th) PP% (rank) 17.1 (28th)
82.0 (8th) PK% (rank) 73.6 (28th)
51.3  Faceoff % 49.2
Pre-game 
Marty St. Louis on Chris Tierney
  • “I was more impressed with the way he played than his goal. He made some great passes. He was very smart. He knows where guys are on the ice and where they’re going.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Tkachuk – Stutzle – Giroux
DeBrincat – Pinto – Batherson
Brassard – Kastelic – Gauthier
Joseph – Gambrell – Watson		 Harvey-Pinard – Suzuki – Anderson
Pitlick – Dvorak – Dadonov
Hoffman – Drouin – Ylonen
Pezzetta – Tierney – Belzile
Defensemen
Chabot – Zub
Sanderson – Hamonic
Brannstrom – Holden		 Matheson – Barron
Harris – Kovacevic
Schueneman – Savard
Out of the lineup
Scratched: Larsson, Kelly
Injured: Norris, Forsberg		 Scratched:
Injured: Byron (hip), Price (knee), Monahan (lower-body), Guhle (lower-body), Gallagher (lower-body), Evans (lower-body), Slafkovsky (lower-body), Caufield (shoulder), Edmundson (upper-body), Xhekaj (upper-body), Dach (lower-body), Wideman (upper-body), Armia (illness)
Goalies
Mads Sogaard Sam Montembeault
Record: 2-0-1
GAA: 2.85
Sv%: .913
SO: 0
Alternate: Cam Talbot		 Record: 12-11-2
GAA: 3.24
Sv%: .908
SO: 0
Alternate: Jake Allen
 Game Expectations
It always seems to be a spirited bout between these two Eastern teams. The Senators come into the Bell Centre on a two game losing streak and will be looking to change the tide, the Habs however are riding the winning wave and should aim to have another successful night at home.

Bottom Line

The lasted acquisition, Chris Tierney, has already made a splash finding a goal in his first match with the club.  Although this is nowhere near a blockbuster deal the fans are anticipating, adding some depth pieces are never a bad option for a struggling team.
 Video Highlights

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