The Montreal Canadiens will be playing the first of their last two preseason games Friday night against the Florida Panthers.
Ahead of Friday’s game, the biggest topics surrounding the Montreal Canadiens have been goals and the record. Nine goals in six games isn’t good, but an 0-6 record isn’t any better. Regardless if it’s the preseason or not, everyone wants to win.
Montreal had a very high-paced practice earlier in the week, so hopefully that’s a sign of what is to come for the Florida Panthers. According to head coach Claude Julien, Saturday night’s line-up will closely resemble what fans will see opening night, while Friday’s still has maybes.
The only complete line is the one made up for Tomas Plekanec, Charles Hudon, and Artturi Lehkonen. What’s interesting is that Alex Galchenyuk and Phillip Danault have been separated. The two haven’t looked that good together anyway, but perhaps this is a way to spark some of the other players lower in the line-up.
#Habs lines vs #Panthers:
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNWpg) September 29, 2017
Hudon - Plekanec - Lehkonen
Byron - Danault - Shaw
Galchenyuk - Holland - Scherbak
Martinsen - Froese - McCarron
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Karl Alzner and Jeff Petry will be leading the Habs on defence. The two look to be the second pair moving forward. Rookie standout Victor Mete will be playing with Jordie Benn. Apparently the rationale behind this is that the coaching staff wants to see Mete used in different situations. Based on how well he’s played so far, there shouldn’t be an issue with him taking on a more defensive role.
The team will also have a healthy return tonight. After missing some time with a lower-body injury, Charlie Lindgren is set to play the whole game. It’ll be interesting to see if he can continue his dominance. Lindgren really has a chance to back-up Carey Price at least at the start of the season. Al Montoya has looked shaky and there’s no telling how long he’ll be out with his neck injury.
#Habs D & G vs #Panthers:
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNWpg) September 29, 2017
Alzner - Petry
Mete - Benn
Davidson - Jerabek
Lindgren
Fucale
It’ll be the final chance to standout to Julien for some of these players. We’ll have to wait until the game is over to see whether that impression was good or bad.
Next: Prospect Updates: September 22nd - 28th
How do you think the game will end? Let us know what you think down below.