The Montreal Canadiens are catching the Colorado Avalanche on the second half of a back-to-back and have a chance of being a major spoiler if they win.
There are 35 games left in the regular season, and not much to look forward to. However, the Montreal Canadiens are and will continue to be, in an interesting position. Sure the playoffs are out of the picture, but the Habs can still play the role of NHL spoiler.
For example, tonight. The Colorado Avalanche will be coming into the Bell Centre having won their last ten games. Considering their franchise record is for longest win streak is 12 from January 10th to February 7th in the 1998-99 season, they’ll be driven to walk away with a ‘W’ in this one. This is where the Habs come in.
Montreal will most likely be running the same lines as their latest game against the Boston Bruins. Unfortunately, lack of discipline and miscues cost them that one. The Habs can’t make the same mistake against this Avalanche team that has a lot of speed throughout their lineup.
Nathan MacKinnon is continuing to make this team his as he sits second in the league in points with 23 goals and 36 assists. The Avs have also been getting stellar goaltending from Jonathan Bernier who has won his last nine games (.955 save percentage). But Colorado played last night and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, so there’s a chance that Andrew Hammond steps in.
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 remain one of the league’s lowest goal-scoring teams, so if they can’t offence their way out of this game, they’ll have to rely on shutting the Avs down. Again that will start with that top line of MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen.
On the other hand, Max Pacioretty had a lot of fun playing Colorado last season. If you remember back to that 10-1 domination, the 29-year-old scored four goals by the end of the final buzzer. Obviously, this is a drastically different team than the historically bad group that was the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche. However, Pacioretty has been very hot, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get at least one.
The rest of the league is expecting Colorado to make it 11 tonight. Let’s see if the Habs can shock the NHL and put a stop to the streak.
Next: Addressing Pierre McGuire's Comments
What are your predictions for the game? Can the Habs end the streak? Let us know your thoughts down below.