The Montreal Canadiens are back to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, but we’re all most interested in how the defence pairings will look.
There are only two ways to go for the Montreal Canadiens. Either they build off of their 3-0 shutout wing against the Buffalo Sabres, or they continue to tread water. Even though they won on Saturday, something that I, and a lot of the fanbase, noticed was that it was a carbon copy of games of Habs past.
For a quick summary: Montreal has an okay start, the opponent spends a lot of the time attacking, the Habs spend most the time defending, and Carey Price steals it. On the other hand, that game was what the Canadiens needed. Not because Price looked like his old self, but because the luck finally went there way.
When the team was struggling at the beginning of the season, they would outshoot and out-chanced their opponents but weren’t able to convert. Whether it was on the power-play or 5-on-5, nothing went in for them. To see the Habs score on the man advantage and shorthanded is excellent. Scoring off the rush isn’t ideal, but hey a goal is a goal.
What they’ll need to do starting tonight is to prove that they can be a team that can sustain pressure for a full 60-minutes.
There aren’t as many question marks regarding who will be playing as before. Claude Julien‘s decision to going back to what was working seemed to do the trick. What we don’t know for sure is whether it will be David Schlemko or Victor Mete in on defence.
Additionally, there’s the chance that Shea Weber is healthy enough to play.
This week will be a big one for the Montreal Canadiens. After this game, they take on the Ottawa Senators and the Detroit Red Wings (twice) who have both been struggling. With the number to get into the third division spot still at four, they should have no reason not to step out on the ice with a drive to win.