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Texas Rangers Night | PREVIEW: MTL @ DAL

Rick Stephens

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

Game Preview (with notes from Cole Jurzyniec)

A Look Back

Christian Dvorak had a quiet return to Glendale and so did the Canadiens as the Coyotes made plays with ease. Montreal ended the game with a tighter grip on the 32nd spot in the standings. Rem Pitlick scored his first as a Hab and Ryan Poehling added his fifth goal of the season. afternoon.

Last game: MTL 2  ARI 5  F

For a complete game recap: Draft Lottery Bowl | RECAP: MTL @ ARI

Players to Watch

  • Jonathan Drouin
    With two assists against Arizona, Drouin joins Nick Suzuki as the Canadiens point leaders with just 19 points. Drouin is once again drastically underperforming his contract as the highest paid forward in the lineup, along with Josh Anderson.
  • Nick Suzuki
    Suzuki’s selection to the NHL All-Star game was met with considerable opposition from hockey fans outside of Montreal. The young centre has struggled with just one goal in his last 10 games.
  • Sam Montembeault
    It’s been a tough season for Montembeault who was claimed off waivers from Florida on October 2nd. The 25-year-old has registered just one win in 14 appearances for the Canadiens this season.

Keys to Victory

  • Play with purpose
    It may be a difficult season without the possibility of playoffs but as several players have articulated, they must play hard because it is their job. They have a duty to provide their best effort.
  • Clean up mistakes
    The Canadiens have been playing atrocious hockey in their own zone. They can’t outscore their opponents so must do much better at preventing goals against.
  • Play a simple game
    Playing Dominique Ducharme’s system has been confusing and unworkable. Given that the team looks to be stuck with an inexperienced coach until the end of the season it is important for Ducharme to simplify his system.
Statistical Matchup for Game 38
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX | January 18, 8:30 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, ESPN+

2021-22  statistics
STARS CANADIENS
38 (21st) Points (rank) 19 (32nd)
18-15-2 Record 7-25-5
L2 Streak L1
5-5-0 Last 10 1-7-2
2.77 (23rd) GF/G (rank) 2.08 (32nd)
3.00 (19th) GA/G (rank) 3.68 (32nd)
25.5 (6th) PP% (rank) 11.6 (32nd)
77.6 (25th) PK%  (rank) 74.0 (29th)
54.6  Faceoff % 47.5
Pre-game Quotes
Laurent Dauphin
  • “We want to win every game, and that’s what we tried [Monday]. It didn’t work.”
Projected Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders (subject to change)
Forwards
Peterson – Hintz – Pavelski
Gurianov – Benn – Seguin
Raffl – Faksa – Glendening
Gardner – Damiani – Kiviranta		 Hoffman – Suzuki – Anderson
Pitlick – Dvorak – Drouin
Lehkonen – Evans – Paquette
Dauphin – Poehling – Pezzetta
Defensemen
Suter – Heiskanen
Lindell – Klingberg
Hanley – Hakanpaa		 Chiarot – Savard
Romanov – Petry
Kulak – Wideman
Out of the lineup
Scratched:
Injured: Robertson
COVID-19: Kero, Sekera, Radulov
Taxi squad: Khudobin, Dellandrea, Harley		 Scratched: Niku
Injured: Allen (lower-body), Byron (hip), Gallagher (lower-body), Perreault (lower-body), Edmundson (back), Toffoli (hand), Price (knee), Weber (multiple injuries)
COVID-19: Caufield, Armia
Taxi squad: McNiven, Vejdemo, Clague,  Schueneman
Goalies
Jake Oettinger Sam Montembeault
Record: 9-3-0
GAA: 2.47
Sv%: .915
SO: 0
Alternate: Braden Holtby		 Record: 1-6-3
GAA: 3.78
Sv%: .897
SO: 0
Alternate: Cayden Primeau
 Game Expectations
Dallas is a below average team when it comes to scoring and keep goals out but they can be deadly on the power-play. Canadiens will have to ensure that they don’t take lazy penalties caused by fatigue from the back-to-back schedule.

Bottom Line

It was a big news day for the Canadiens off the ice with the appointment of general manager Kent Hughes. The players can show that they have turned the page on the former regime but putting in a strong effort.
 Video Highlights

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