Montreal Canadiens Game Day Preview: Habs vs Sens

An examination of the Canadiens and Senators matchup tonight and some other important story lines to follow as well.

Speed and transition is what the Canadiens will try to focus on as they play in Ottawa tonight at 7:00. Sloppy play by the Senators in their first game against the Leafs, lead to the Leafs having many fast breaks and odd man rushes. Even though the Senators eventually beat the Leafs in over time, the win wasn’t because of the Sens strong defensive play.

This match up looks perfect for the Canadiens as their 4 forward lines all looked fast against Buffalo on Thursday night. They were able to cause turnovers in the neutral zone and than attack with their speed in transition creating scoring chances. Look for the Canadiens to attack the Sens in the neutral zone tonight.

Defensively the team will have to be very positionally sound in their own end. The Sens have players who thrive off one timers like Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone among others. Covering the points and slot area will be a real key for the Habs defensive strategy tonight.

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No Carey, No Problem

Carey Price did not travel to Ottawa with the team because he is still sick with the flu. So Al Montoya will make his second straight start for the Canadiens. Montoya played very well in his first game making 30 saves on 31 shots.

The team imploded last year without Carey Price. Mike Condon certainly isn’t to blame for that catastrophe, but more stable play in the crease behind Price was needed. Winning this game with more solid play from Montoya would really do well in building the teams confidence.

Playing with Edge but Not Crossing the Line

Andrew Shaw is a really dynamic pest. He is very entertaining to watch as he gives 110 percent every time he is on the ice. What he did with only a few seconds left against the Sabres is inexcusable.

Slew footing a player is a very dirty move anytime. Slew footing your opponent with only a few seconds left in a game that you have easily won is just pathetic. Shaw’s actions have earned him a meeting with the NHL’s safety department next week for some educational training.

Seeing how Shaw plays tonight will be a gauge to see if he gets the message from the league. Shaw brings a lot of heart and swagger to the Canadiens lineup and the Habs don’t want him to be missing multiple games due to suspension. Look for Shaw to play hard but play a very clean brand of hockey tonight not causing more unnecessary distraction.

Should He Stay or Should He Go?

Mikhail Sergachev‘s play in Buffalo was what you would expect of a young rookie Defencemen. He struggled to make good entry passes out of his own end and at times wasn’t careful enough with the puck on his stick. This resulted in the youngster having only 11:48 of ice time.

If Sergachev draws back into the lineup tonight it will be interesting to see how he will play against a much faster and experienced Senators team compared to the Sabres. If Sergachev can be more of a reliability with the puck and make good strong passes it may indicate that he does belong with the club this season.

Final Thoughts

Alexander Radulov will being going for his first goal as a Hab. He played well in his first game with the Canadiens registering 4 shots. If Radulov finds twine tonight expect a really exciting high energy goal celebration that he is known for.

Jeff Petry should also make his return to the lineup tonight which is great news. However, this means that a someone will have to be taken out of the lineup to sit in the press box.

Expect a fast and physical game tonight as these division rivals of a history of not liking each other. I think the Canadiens will do a good job boxing out the Senators in their own end and limit the Sens scoring opportunities.

The Canadiens Power Play also had good puck movement against Buffalo but they were not able to score. Tonight I think the Habs Power Play results in at least one goal and we will be able to see some great passing and one timers from Shea Weber.

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Prediction

The Canadiens will come out using their speed and structure to force Ottawa turnovers. Also like previously mentioned, I like the Habs chances of scoring on the Power Play tonight. The end result tonight should be a Habs win by a score of 3-1.

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