Canadiens Game 20: Cayden Primeau To Face Lowly Sharks

The Montreal Canadiens (8-9-2) are in California to face the struggling San Jose Sharks (3-15-1) on Friday afternoon. The puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.

The Habs are looking to build upon the moment they gained by beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 on Wednesday night, a game in which goaltender Samuel Montembeault made several fantastic high-danger saves.

The Canadiens allow more rushes than any other team in the NHL, but Montembeault has done a great job mitigating the endless stream of chances with some spectacular goaltending.

ROBBERY by Montembeault on the 2v1 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/xk6qQtkWCe

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 23, 2023

The game also featured a pair of goals from Alex Newhook, who has found his ryhthm in recent games now that Josh Anderson, who is yet to score this season, is no longer playing on the top line.

Unfortunately, Cole Caufield continues to struggle away from Nick Suzuki, and his body language on Wednesday was indicative of a player who is clearly frustrated.

oh he’s going through it pic.twitter.com/foia7LCFVm

— mel loves nick (@habbybbgs) November 23, 2023

Jayden Struble, who made a successful NHL debut against the Ducks is expected to play his second game in the NHL, while veteran Sean Monahan’s health status is still up in the air.

Monahan’s numbers have completely collapsed in recent games, which is rather unusual for a player with his skill set. We’ll have to wait for confirmation from head coach Martin St-Louis to see if Monahan will face the Sharks.

24-year-old goaltender Cayden Primeau will be given the start for the Habs, a rare opportunity for the netminder to face a team that isn’t among the Stanley Cup contenders.

And it’s also an excellent chance to showcase him to teams that are currently shopping for goaltenders.

MUST READ: Pros And Cons Of Trading Each Montreal Canadiens Goaltender

As for the Sharks, well, they’re awful. There’s no other way of putting it. And they seem intent on gaining the best odds to draft phenom Macklin Celebrini, the 17-year-old forward who is currently leading the NCAA in scoring and happens to play on Lane Hutson’s team (Boston University).

Macklin Celebrini is going to be a problem for a lot of NHL teams. pic.twitter.com/klD64drYVp

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 27, 2023

But in the meantime, San Jose is going through an ugly stretch.

They’ve only won three of their 19 games this season, and are coming off a one-sided 7-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

To give you an idea of how bad things are, former Hab Mike Hoffman is tied for the team lead in goal-scoring, with a grand total of four goals. Tomas Hertl is the team’s leading scorer, with just four goals and eight assists in 19 games.

Simply put, this roster may be worse than their expansion team lineup, which finished the 1991-92 season with a lowly 17-58-5 record.

It’s a perfect opportunity for the Canadiens to finally string together a winning streak.

If you’re looking to get a view from the other side of the rink, don’t forget to check out our sister site, San Jose Hockey Now.

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• David Savard (out 6-8 weeks)
• Carey Price (IR)
• Chris Wideman (IR)
• Kirby Dach (out indefinitely, ACL/MCL)
• Arber Xhekaj (day-to-day)
• Rafael Harvey-Pinard (IR)
• Jordan Harris (out indefinitely)

San Jose Sharks Injuries

• Oskar Lindblom (IR)
• Nico Sturm (IR)
• Logan Couture (IR)
• Alexander Barbanov (IR)

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Anaheim Ducks Projected Lineup

Eklund – Hertl – Zetterlund

Zadina – Granlund – Duclair

Hoffman – Kunin – MacDonald

Knyzhhov – Carpenter – Smith

Defence:

Ferraro – Emberson

Okhotyuk – Burroughs

Addison – Rutta

Goalies:

Kahkonen

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