Weekly Forecast: Finishing Strong Against Red Wings, Maple Leafs
Ty Prater
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.
LEXINGTON, KY — This week the Canadiens finish the regular season with a home game against Detroit and an away game at Toronto. Last week the Habs went 1-1-2, finishing the week on a high note with a 4-1 win against Florida.
Calendar: April 6 – April 12
MON
TUE
WED
THU
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SAT
SUN
HOME
AWAY
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Montreal Canadiens
The Habs (48-22-10) are coming off a 4-1 win against Florida last Sunday and start their week Thursday against Detroit. Montreal is first in the Atlantic Division and third in the league with 106 points. They are 5-2-3 in their last ten games played.
Players to Watch
Andrei Markov. After having last Friday off for rest-related reasons, Markov is back in the line-up. He has five points in his last five games played.
Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec had a big offensive night last Sunday with a goal and two assists. He has four points in his last two games and 58 total this season.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The Habs have been a good puck possession team all season, starting with a face-off win percentage of 52.3 per cent (4th).
Montreal gives up a lot of scoring chances, averaging 30.3 shots against per game.
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Thursday
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings (41-25-13) are coming off a 2-1 loss against Washington last Sunday and start their week Tuesday against Carolina before playing Montreal Thursday. Detroit is fourth in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the league with 95 points. They are 3-5-2 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
Pavel Datsyuk. Datsyuk has three points in his last three games and 61 points this season.
Gustav Nyquist. Nyquist has two goals in his last two games and 14 power-play goals this season (3rd).
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The Red Wings have a strong power-play at 24.0 per cent (2nd).
Detroit has some goaltending issues. They allow an average of 2.60 goals against per game.
The Maple Leafs (29-43-7) last game was a 3-2 win against Ottawa last Sunday. They play Columbus Wednesday before playing Montreal Saturday. Toronto is seventh in the Atlantic Division and 27th in the league with 67 points. They are 2-7-1 in their last ten games.
Players to Watch
James Van Riemsdyk. Van Riemsdyk has two goals in his last two games and 54 points this season.
Tyler Bozak. Bozak has six points in his last four games and 47 points this season.
Strengths (+)
Weaknesses (-)
The Maple Leafs haven’t had much to celebrate this season but they do win more than they lose on home ice.
Toronto struggles to score, averaging just 2.54 goals per game while allowing 3.11 goals against (26th).
