Canadiens Game 61: Cayden Primeau To Start Versus Lightning

The Montreal Canadiens (23-28-9) are set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning (32-24-6) at Amalie Arena on Saturday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

The Habs are coming off a hard-fought loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, in which captain Nick Suzuki continued to display the type of consistency that has led to many suggesting he deserves Selke-Trophy consideration.

With 11 goals and six assists, Suzuki was named the well-deserved winner of the Molson Cup in February.

On top of the captain doing what the captain does best, defenceman Arber Xhekaj played a big role, not only when it came to his physical presence, but also due to his underrated impact on the team’s possession numbers.

#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Montreal Canadiens on 2024-02-29:#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/LLx1wVCFdH

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) March 1, 2024

Samuel Montembeault was upset that he failed to shut down the Panthers in the shootout, but it must be said that he played well nonetheless. This time around, Cayden Primeau will receive a start against the other Florida-based team.

Michael Pezzetta, Jayden Struble, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard took part in the team’s optional skate on Saturday morning, indicating the three are slated to watch the game versus Tampa Bay from the press box.

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As for the Lightning, they’re no longer considered favourites in the quest for the Stanley Cup, but they’re still not a team that can be taken lightly. They’re holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the East, with the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils just a few wins behind them in standings while also having a few games in hand.

In otherwords, to ensure a playoff berth the Lightning will have to show more consistency than their recent record of 5-4-1 in the last 10 games.

Nikita Kucherov may not be the most affable player in the NHL. You could even argue that he’s one of the least likable stars in the league, which makes his impressive 104 points in 61 games even more frustrating for opposing fans.

There’s a forty-point gap between Kucherov and the next leading scorer on the Lightning roster, Brayden Point.

Like him or not, Kucherov is always a scoring threat. In 34 career games against the Canadiens, Kucherov has scored 14 goals and 24 assists.

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• Carey Price (IR)
• Chris Wideman (IR)
• Kirby Dach (out indefinitely, ACL/MCL)
• Rafael Harvey-Pinard (day-to-day)
• Christian Dvorak (out)
• Jayden Struble (day-to-day)

Tampa Bay Lightning Injuries

• Mikhail Sergachev (IR)
• Logan Brown (IR)
• Tanner Jeannot (IR)

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup

Hagel – Point – Kucherov

Stamkos – Paul – Sheary

Eyssimont – Cirelli – Chaffee

Motte – Glendening – Watson

Defence

Hedman – Raddysh

Fleury – Cernak

de Haan – Perbix

Goalie

Vasilevskiy

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