The Montreal Canadiens have now lost their last two games and four out of five crucial divisional matchups in just over two weeks. As a result, they now find themselves in the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, although the Boston Bruins now have 63 points as well after their overtime loss against the New York Rangers on Monday night. Montreal remains ahead thanks to having a game in hand, but it now has its back right up against the wall. This team needs a spark, something that will allow it to right the ship and get back on the right trajectory.
The last time it needed that in December, the Habs brass was forced to call up Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket, and unless the goaltenders find a way to step up, that may soon be in the cards as well. After Samuel Montembeault failed to make the big saves in the last two games, Jakub Dobes will be given the net tonight against a strong Vegas Golden Knights side.
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The Nevada outfit is comfortably installed atop the Pacific Division and has a 7-3-0 record in its last 10 games, but it is coming off a humiliating 7-1 blowout loss against the Ottawa Senators. It likely means the players will be absolutely pumped when they jump on the Bell Centre Ice on Tuesday night. While the Habs have won the last duel between the two sides, they’ve only beaten Vegas three times in their previous 10 meetings.
Tuesday night’s tilt will be Dobes’ first game against Vegas, and he’s got a 15-5-3 record on the season with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage. Meanwhile, Montembeault has a 2-2-2 career record against the Knights with a 3.20 GAA and a .910 SV. The Becancour native was in net for the first game between the two teams this season, a 4-1 win in which he made 30 saves on 31 shots, which was perhaps his best performance of the year.
Based on Monday’s practice, it’s unlikely that there will be any other changes to the Canadiens’ lineup since Patrik Laine, Samuel Blais, Joe Veleno and Jayden Struble were taking rotations as extras.
Meanwhile, the Knights have yet to confirm who will be manning their net. Aidin Hill, who has recently come back from injury, was in the net for the entirety of Sunday night’s 7-1 blowout loss, and it will be interesting to see if he’s given a chance to get back on the horse right away. He’s 5-2-0 against the Canadiens with a 2.71 GAA and a .900 SV. Meanwhile, Akira Schmid has a 1-1-0 record with a 2.02 GAA and a .905 SV against the Habs. As for Carter Hart, who signed with Vegas earlier this season, he’s currently out with a lower-body injury and is being evaluated every week.
Up front, Phillip Danault is the Canadiens’ most productive forward against the Knights, thanks to playing them a lot when he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings. He has 17 points in 20 games against Bruce Cassidy’s men. Captain Nick Suzuki comes in second place with 11 points in as many games, followed by Mike Matheson, who has eight points in 13 duels. Cole Caufield sits right outside the top three, but he’s still a point-per-game player against the Knights with seven points in as many games. The sniper is red hot lately; he has goals (8) in his last five games and 10 points in that span. Suzuki is also on a five-game point streak with two goals and seven assists, while Matheson has an assist in each of the last four games.
Meanwhile, Mitch Marner is the visitors' most productive player against Montreal with 40 points in 39 games, followed by Jack Eichel (24 points in 25 games) and Mark Stone (24 points in 28 games). What do the three have in common? They all took on Montreal regularly when they played in the Atlantic Division for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, and Senators, respectively. Newly acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson is the only player currently running a point streak, with two assists in as many games as a member of the Golden Knights.
If the Canadiens hope to win the game, they’ll have to provide a real 60-minute effort; the Knights have a plus-23 differential in the third frame, meaning the Habs can’t afford to let up in the final frame, even if they have the lead. That has been an issue for the Habs lately, and it was discussed at the team meeting after practice on Monday.
The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on RDS, TSN2, and SCRIPPS. Mike Sullivan and Jon McIsaac will be the referees, while Michel Cormier and Jeremy Faucher will be the linemen.
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