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Weekly Forecast: Canadiens Visit Predators, Jets, Return Home for Panthers

Ty Prater
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Weekly Forecast: Canadiens Visit Predators, Jets, Return Home for Panthers
(Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

All Habs Weekly Forecast gives a first look of the week ahead for your Montreal Canadiens. Hockey writer Ty Prater maps out the schedule, provides a statistical comparison of each matchup, identifies players to watch, as well as strengths and weaknesses of each team and provides links to our game reports for the season series. Bookmark this page and use it as your guide for each game in the Canadiens schedule this week. The Weekly Forecast combined with our popular Game Day feature provides you with the best information available as you prepare for puck drop.

by Tyler Prater, Hockey Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

(Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

LEXINGTON, KY — This week the Canadiens play two on the road before hosting Florida on Saturday. Last week the Habs went 3-1-0, redeeming themselves against the Pacific Division with a 2-0 win against San Jose last Saturday.

Calendar: March 23 – March 29
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
 
  
AWAY AWAY HOME

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Montreal Canadiens
  • The Habs (46-20-7) are coming off a 2-0 win against San Jose last Saturday and start their week Tuesday against Nashville. Montreal is first in the Atlantic Division and second in the league with 99 points. They are 5-3-2 in their last ten games played.
Players to Watch
  • Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher has a goal in each of his last two games and a, career high, 21 goals this season.
  • Brandon Prust. Even with 128 penalty minutes this season (5th), Prust has found time to assist three goals in his last three games for a total of 13 assists this season.
Strengths (+) Weaknesses (-)
  • Even though the Habs only average 28.3 shots a game, they still have a win percentage of .605 when being outshot (4th) – mostly thanks to the Price/Pacioretty combo.
  • Montreal’s offensive abilities continue to be a struggle, both on even strength and with a man advantage; averaging just 2.56 goals per game (23rd) and a power-play at 15.9 per cent (26th).

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Tuesday

Nashville Predators
  • The Predators (44-21-8) are coming off a 3-0 win against Buffalo last Saturday and start their week against Montreal. Nashville is second in the Central Division and sixth in the league with 96 points. They are 3-6-1 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
  • Matt Cullen. Cullen has three assists in his last two games and 24 points this season.
  • Roman Josi.  Josi has three goals in his last three games and 51 points this season.
Strengths (+) Weaknesses (-)
  • The Predators get a lot of scoring chances with an average of 32 shots a game (3rd).
  • Nashville’s power-play isn’t very productive at 16.5 per cent.
Matchup
Tuesday March 24 | Nashville, TN.

CANADIENS  (statistics as of March 22, 2015) PREDATORS
99 (2nd) Points 96 (6th)
22-11-2 (away) Home/Away Record 27-7-2 (home)
2.56(23rd) Goals per game 2.77 (13th)
2.14 (1st) Goals Against per game 2.34 (4th)
28.3 (26th) Shots per game 32.0 (3rd)
30.7 (23rd) Shots Against per game 28.4 (8th)
15.9% (26th) Power-play 16.5% (24th)
84.6% (7th) Penalty-kill 80.8% (19th)

Season Series

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Thursday

Winnipeg Jets
  • The Jets (37-23-12) are coming off a 3-0 win against Washington last Saturday. They will play Vancouver Tuesday before hosting Montreal on Thursday. Winnipeg is fifth in the Central Division and 14th in the league with 86 points. They are 6-3-1 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
  • Blake Wheeler. Wheeler has six points in his last five games and three short-handed goals this season (4th).
  • Mark Scheifele.  Scheifele has five points in his last three games and 44 points this season.
Strengths (+) Weaknesses (-)
  • The Jets do a good job of limiting their opponents’ shots with an average of 28.6 shots against per game.
  • Winnipeg struggles to score with a 2.69 goals per game average.
Matchup
Thursday March 26 | Winnipeg, MB.

CANADIENS  (statistics as of March 22, 2015) JETS
99 (2nd) Points 86 (14th)
22-12-2 (away) Home/Away Record 20-11-5 (home)
2.56 (23rd) Goals per game 2.69 (17th)
2.14 (1st) Goals Against per game 2.56 (14th)
28.3 (26th) Shots per game 29.6 (20th)
30.7 (23rd) Shots Against per game 28.6 (9th)
15.9% (26th) Power-play 18.2% (15th)
84.6% (7th) Penalty-kill 81.6% (12th)

Season Series

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Saturday

Florida Panthers
  • The Panthers (33-25-14) last game was a 2-1 win against Boston last Saturday. They play Toronto Thursday before playing Montreal Saturday. Florida is sixth in the Atlantic Division and 19th in the league with 80 points. They are 6-3-1 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
  • Aleksander Barkov. Barkov has two points in his last three games, including a goal last Tuesday in their 3-2 loss against the Habs.
  • Jonathan Huberdeau.  Huberdeau has two assists in his last three games and 43 points this season.
Strengths (+) Weaknesses (-)
  • The Panthers get a lot of shots, with an average of 30.8 per game.
  • Florida’s power-play is at a lowly 15.1 per cent (28th).
Matchup
Saturday March 28 | Montreal, QC.

CANADIENS  (statistics as of March 22, 2015) PANTHERS
99 (2nd) Points 80 (19th)
24-8-5 (home) Home/Away Record 15-14-7 (away)
2.56 (23rd) Goals per game 2.35 (25th)
2.14 (1st) Goals Against per game 2.60 (16th)
28.3 (26th) Shots per game 30.8 (12th)
30.7 (23rd) Shots Against per game 29.8 (16th)
15.9% (26th) Power-play 15.1% (28th)
84.6% (7th) Penalty-kill 80.4% (22nd)

Season Series

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