The Montreal Canadiens are set to take on the Florida Panthers and add some positive light to the end of their road trip and 2017.
Tonight will be the last time we see the Montreal Canadiens in 2017. In many ways, that face could work in the team’s favour. A lot of people want to do something special to end the year before a new one begins, and getting a win against the Panthers could be that.
Montreal and Florida are in similar positions where they could continue to fight for the playoffs or passively let the year play out. However, the Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak, so it looks a lot better on their end.
What the Habs gave going for them in this match is that they’ve won the last four games against the Panthers. Three of them were decided by three or more goals which could hint at a more exciting game than originally thought.
James Reimer has been getting the bulk of the starts for Flordia since Roberto Luongo went down with injury and will most likely get the nod again. He’s finished with at least a .920 save percentage in the last six games. On the other side, Carey Price is continuously falling victim to defensive breakdowns from the Habs. He’s played well enough to keep the team in it when their opponent presses hard for a goal, but a simple mistake has the puck get past him.
More from Habs News
- 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?
The Habs are no longer in a position to take any team easy anymore. Although they only have six more goals than Montreal, players such as Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trochek, and Aleksander Barkov are still threats.
Florida also has a hot penalty kill going for them as they’ve only given up one goal on the man advantage in the last 31 opportunities. Not only do they stop teams from converting on the power play, but they score themselves as they’re tied for most shorthanded goals in the league with seven.
The Montreal Canadiens, however, may have to rely on Brendan Gallagher for more offence. The 25-year-old is on pace for his first 30-goal season and could get the team on the board whether it’s a pretty or ugly looking goal. There’s also the hope that the newly reformed top line with Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk, and Artturi Lehkonen gets things going as well.
It’ll be interesting to see how this game goes. There may be a small sliver of hope left when it comes to the Habs, but if they drop this game, it’ll 100% be over.
What are your expectations for the game? Can the Habs finish 2017 with a win? Let us know in the comments.