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Canadiens Pre Game

Canadiens Game 34: Clash of the 2017 NHL Draft, Allen In Again

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens (15-15-3) face the Dallas Stars (19-9-6) on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 8 PM ET.

It’ll be a clash of titans from the 2017 NHL Draft, as Nick Suzuki gets ready to face Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and JJake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, all of whom were drafted in the same year.

The Stars have had a ton of success this year due to the rapid progression of their youngsters. With Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz taking their games to the next level, the Stars have one of the most potent offences in the NHL.

Their depth is so strong that Jamie Benn, who is having a stellar bounce-back year, is playing on the third line.

While the club remains an offensive force, Jake Oettinger continues to keep the puck out of the net for the Stars, posting a 0.919 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average. The 24-year-old is playing some of his best hockey of late and will be a tough test for the Canadiens, whose offence has run a little dry over the last two weeks.

https://montreal.nationalhockeynow.com/2022/12/22/montreal-canadiens-2017-nhl-re-draft-canadiens-suzuki-ranks-well-dallas-stars-jason-robertson/

Road Trip Blues

The Canadiens have not played stellar hockey whilst on this road trip. Both their games against the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche saw them take the lead early and hold on for dear life, while their opponents dominated them for the rest of the game.

To jumpstart their offence, the Canadiens will be looking for a big game from their captain, who has seen his production slip just a bit in the month of December, with only two points in his last seven games.

One thing that has been stellar as of late in Hab land has been their goaltending, as Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen were excellent in their last games, respectively. Both goaltenders have bounced back well since leaving Montreal on this road trip and, if the Canadiens are to have any success tonight against the potent Stars, they’re going to need a similar performance.

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

  • Mike Matheson (indefinitely)
  • Sean Monahan (2 weeks)
  • David Savard (day-to-day)
  • Brendan Gallagher (2 weeks)
  • Carey Price (LTIR)
  • Paul Byron (LTIR)

Dallas Stars Injuries

  • Denis Gurianov (DTD, Personal)

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

LWCRW
Cole CaufieldNick SuzukiJuraj Slafkovsky
Brendan GallagherAlex NewhookJoel Armia
Rafael Harvey-PinardJake EvansJosh Anderson
Michael PezzettaColin WhiteJesse Ylonen
LDRD
Mike MathesonKaiden Guhle
Arber XhekajDavid Savard
Jayden StrubleJordan Harris
Goalie
Cayden Primeau
Samuel Montembeault

Dallas Stars Projected Roster

Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski

Kiviranta-Dellandrea-Seguin

Benn-Johnston-Marchment

Tufte-Faksa-Glendening

Defence:

Heiskanen-Lundkvist

Suter-Miller

Lindell-Hakanpaa

Goalies:

Oettinger

Wedgewood

Special Teams

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Game Notes:

  • Nick Suzuki has fallen below a point per game for the first time since October. Suzuki has 15 goals and 16 assists in 33 games.
  • Jake Allen is 9-12-1 this season with a .900 save percentage.
  • With four goals this season, Arber Xhekaj leads all rookie defencemen in goal scoring.

How to Watch Or Listen

TV

BSSWX, TSN, RDS

Radio

Montreal Canadiens: TSN 69098,5FM