Canadiens Game 59: Habs Aim To Win Three In A Row, Face Rivals

The Montreal Canadiens (25-29-4) host the Ottawa Senators (27-26-4) on Friday night at the Bell Centre, looking to win their third game in a row. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Despite winning six of their last 10 games, the Senators are coming off two straight losses, including a 4-0 shutout against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Tim Stutzle has led the charge for the Senators in recent games, earning three goals and three assists in his last five games. In total, Stutzle has scored 26 goals and 33 assists in 59 games, just one point less than Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who leads the team with 60 points in 57 games.

Thomas Chabot continues to be one of the most productive defencemen in Ontario and leads all Senators’ blueliners with eight goals and 23 assists in 52 games. His closest competition is rookie Jake Sanderson, who has three goals and 18 assists this season.

This will be the fourth time the Canadiens and Senators clash, with Ottawa having won the previous three matchups in 2022-23.

As for the Canadiens, Samuel Montembeault is expected to be given the start since Jake Allen faced the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night.

The Habs will not practice, therefore all confirmation on forward lines, pairings, and the starting goaltender will come when head coach Martin St-Louis addresses the media at 5 PM ET.

Thanks to a resurgence in offence from the team’s defensive group, Mike Matheson is currently the Canadiens’ top scorer, with four points in his last five games. However, it’s worth noting Mike Hoffman, who tends to prefer scoring goals, has four assists over that span.

The Canadiens will have to keep a close eye on the Senators’ special teams, who, unlike the Canadiens’, are among some of the best special teams in the NHL. The Senators have a top-10 penalty kill and power play, whereas the Habs have some of the poorest special team numbers in the NHL.

Feisty forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard continues to enjoy his audition on the top line. With one assist on Josh Anderson’s 17th goal of the season on Friday night, Harvey-Pinard’s 2022-22 tally is now at seven goals and four assists in just 14 games.

Chris Tierney, who was claimed off waivers earlier in the week, will look to continue his strong start with his new club. Tierney scored in the first period of Montreal’s 5-2 win over the Flyers on Friday night.

Chris Tierney’s 1ST GOAL as a Hab #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/rJy3icS6Si

— Habs Fan TV (@habsfantv_) February 25, 2023

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• Chris Wideman (Week-To-Week)
• Joel Armia (Day-To-Day)
• Kaiden Guhle (Injured Reserve)
• Joel Edmundson (Day-To-Day)
• Kirby Dach (Illness)
• Brendan Gallagher (Injured Reserve)
• Jake Evans (Injured Reserve)
• Arber Xhekaj (Injured, No Update)
• Juraj Slafkovsky (Injured Reserve)
• Cole Caufield (Injured Reserve)
• Sean Monahan (LTIR)
• Carey Price (LTIR)
• Paul Byron (LTIR)

Ottawa Senators Injuries

• Josh Norris (Injured Reserve)
• Anton Forsberg (Injured Reserve)

Montreal Canadiens Previous Lineup

Ottawa Senators Projected Lineup

Tkachuk – Stutzle – Giroux

DeBrincat – Pinto – Batherson

Brassard – Greig – Gauthier

Joseph – Gambrell – Watson

Defence:

Chabot – Zub

Sanderson – Hamonic

Brannstrom – Holden

Goalies:

Sogaard

Talbot

Special Teams

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