Montreal Canadiens Gameday Preview: Habs vs Pens

Previewing the Montreal Canadiens home opener, as they take on the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins

The Montreal Canadiens will look to build off a fairly strong start after gaining 3 out of 4 points to start the season. They will be playing the Penguins who have also started strong earning 5 out of a possible 6 points to start their season. The game will start at 7:30 and will be played at the Bell Center.

Montreal will try to take advantage of the Penguins who may fatigued after playing last night, losing in overtime. Montreal is playing their first game of the season at home tonight. So gaining some energy off the crowd will be a big advantage going into the game.

The Canadiens have looked improved this season on the Power Play. Through their first two games they have been able to pass the puck fluently, looking for one time shots. Shea Weber has had a few chances to score already with his laser slap shot.

More from A Winning Habit

• Montreal Canadiens: Biggest Questions Going Into 2023-24
• Montreal Canadiens: Quentin Miller’s Poise And Confidence Fuel His Game
• Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Top Defence Pair Could Be Set
• Montreal Canadiens: Worst Move Of The Pierre Gauthier Era
• Montreal Canadiens: Could Casey DeSmith End Up In Colorado?

Saturday night, Jeff Petry scored a goal on the Power Play. On Petry’s second goal, the Power Play time had just expired, but Ottawa hadn’t regained 5 players in their zone. Look for the Canadiens to have a few good opportunities to score this evening on the Power Play.

Montreal started very slow on Saturday night and as a result the team was outplayed all game. The Canadiens can’t afford to make the same mistake against Pittsburgh as they have an even faster roster than Ottawa. Look for the Habs to come out to a fast start using their speed and engaging physically with the Pens.

Roster Updates

The Montreal Canadiens have had some roster news over the past couple of days. The Habs will again, be without Carey Price for at least one more game as he deals with the flu. This means that Al Montoya will make his third consecutive start of the season.

Al Montoya looked impressive to start the season, and as a result he was listed in our 3 stars ranking for last week. He made 65 saves on a possible 69 shots through two games earning him a .942 save percentage and a 1.92 goals against average. Montoya will try to build off these numbers against the Penguins.

Montreal has also made another roster move inserting Mikhail Sergachev back into the lineup. Sergachev will be making his home debut with the team after appearing in the teams first game at Buffalo. He played adequately that night but will definitely get a greater test against the Penguins deep core of forwards.

Greg Pateryn will likely draw out of the line up, opening up room for Sergachev. Mikhail will be able to enjoy his first home game experience with his family because they are flying in from Russia. The Canadiens will try to be cautious with Sergachev, not wanting him matched up against the top lines of the Penguins.

Next: Montreal Canadiens Week in Review: 3 Stars of the Week

Final Thoughts

The Canadiens will definitely be in tough tonight again without Carey Price.  The Penguins will probably be tired from the game last night. I would expect them to take a couple of lazy penalties giving the Canadiens the edge in a close game.

Prediction 3-2 for the Habs.