Canadiens Game 69: Young Habs Core Key Versus The Canucks

The Montreal Canadiens (25-31-11) are set to face the Vancouver Canucks (43-18-8) at Rogers Arena. The puck drop is scheduled for 10 pm ET.

The Habs are coming off a hard-fought battle against one of the top teams in the league, the Edmonton Oilers.

Despite losing in overtime, the Canadiens can be proud of the effort they put forth on Thursday. The same can be said of head coach Martin St-Louis. He’s currently taking care of a personal issue, but he would have surely appreciated the hard work of his players.

It’s become a recurring theme in the second half of the season. The Habs don’t quite have the talent to match a team like the Oilers, but they can outwork them.

As for which players are leading the charge, it will come as no surprise that Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, and Nick Suzuki are the main engines driving the team’s offence.

But we also have to appreciate the impact Joshua Roy has made during his short time with the Canadiens. Unfortunately, Roy will be sidelined indefinitely after blocking a shot with his hand versus the Oilers, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has quickly become one of the best players on the team.

MUST READ: Montreal Canadiens Top Forwards Since All-Star Break

Cayden Primeau was the only goaltender present at the optional morning skate Thursday morning, which means Samuel Montembeault is going to be given the start versus the Canucks.

The lone change to the roster will see Tanner Pearson return to the action to fill the gap left by Roy’s injury.

The Canadiens will have their hands full in Vancouver, as the Canucks happen to be one of the best teams in the NHL. Their underlying numbers aren’t exactly what you’d call flawless, but often we get bogged down in statistics and projections while forgetting the most important thing in sports: winning.

No, the Canucks are not guaranteed to win the Cup, but they’re doing all they can to help the current lineup enjoy a healthy run in the playoffs, and that’s something we see quite rarely in the NHL. Teams tend to err on the side of caution, but they forget that risk management also includes the risk of not making any changes.

Besides, if you want to hitch a ride on the riverboat, you have to go down to the river. There are no awards for the most cap space saved or the highest expected goals percentage during the regular season.

J.T. Miller is the team’s leading scorer, with 33 goals and 56 assists, but he’s not alone when it comes to offensive weapons. Defenceman Quinn Hughes is having a fantastic year at both ends of the rink. His 79 points are sure to garner some Norris Trophy consideration.

And, of course, there’s Elias Pettersson, who is quietly enjoying yet another great year with 33 goals and 49 assists in 69 games.

Montreal Canadiens Injuries

• Carey Price (IR)
• Chris Wideman (IR)
• Kirby Dach (out indefinitely, ACL/MCL)
• Christian Dvorak (out indefinitely)
• Joshua Roy (out indefinitely)

Vancouver Canucks Injuries

• Dakota Joshua (IR)
• Thatcher Demko (out)
• Tucker Poolman (IR)

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Vancouver Canucks Projected Lineup

Hoglander – Pettersson – Garland

Suter – Miller – Boeser

Mikheyev – Lindholm – Lafferty

Podkolzin – Blueger – Aman

Defence

Hughes – Hronek

Soucy – Myers

Zadorov – Cole

Goalie

DeSmith

How to Watch