It was a boxing match of goals the last time the Montreal Canadiens, and Carolina Hurricanes faced off, and there’s always a chance that could happen again.
The Montreal Canadiens have been involved in three games this season that could be considered a gong show. The 4-5 and 6-5 losses to Arizona and Carolina and the 7-5 win against Vancouver fall into that category. Fans at home might enjoy the back-and-forth goal nights, but they drive NHL coaches nuts when their teams can’t seem to get a handle on things.
Carolina are in the same position they were in the last time they faced each other. The Metropolitan Division isn’t as free as the Atlantic, and most teams are a win or two away from being in a playoff spot. Right now, it’s a tight race between the Islanders and Rangers for the second wild with Philadelphia occupying it.
Carey Price is projected to get the start for this one again and hopefully; he isn’t forced to face as many key scoring chances as last time. There was a lot of disappointment and animosity towards the 30-year-old after allowing five goals to the Hurricanes – two of them came in a minute for the 13th time this season – but, the Habs have to make sure they play defensively enough to give him a chance to make the saves.
The blue line is going to get a small alteration with Jordie Benn in for David Schlemko. Claude Julien was very blunt in his assessment of what he needs to improve on, and he may be given a short leash than before. Looking on the other side of things, Joseph Morrow could see his leash lengthen a bit. The 25-year-old saw 20 minutes in the Habs’ loss to St. Louis, and if the trust is there, that number could increase.
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Paul Byron‘s status for this game isn’t known for sure, and if he has to sit out, Charles Hudon is expected to move to centre. If that happens, Logan Shaw, who looks to be a healthy scratch, could actually play.
Going back to Hudon, Montreal’s latest game against Carolina marked the current offensive splash for the forward. He scored twice in the second period of that game and added his third and seventh of the season on Tuesday.
There’s nothing that Hudon needs to change as he’s getting and creating scoring chances for himself. What needs to continue is the finish which has been lacking all season. His 5.5 shooting percentage will correct itself, and this may be the beginning of it.
Another player to look out for is Daniel Carr who, for now at least, will return to the lineup on the fourth line with Byron Froese and Jacob de La Rose. Considering Julien benched him despite how well he was playing, Carr may have to go above and beyond to prove he deserves to play every night. It may be hard to do that with 10 or 11 minutes of ice time, but crazier things have happened.
As for their opponent, keep an eye on Teuvo Teravainen. The 23-year-old has opened the scoring in both games against Montreal this season, and the Hurricanes will probably look to him to do it again. Additionally, Sebastian Aho has been pretty hot with four goals in his last five games.
Let’s see if the Habs can keep the winds of this game a little more calm.
Next: Perspective on Tomas Plekanec
What are your predictions for the game? Will it be as wild as the last time? Let us know in the comments.