The Montreal Canadiens will be looking to end their five-game losing streak with Phillip Danault finally back in the lineup.
Claude Julien left the defence pairings untouched, and Carey Price is getting the start. That’s the ‘boring’ aspect of tonight’s game as the Montreal Canadiens take on the Philadelphia Flyers in their final road game in this latest stretch. What will be interesting to see are how the forward lines will perform.
The Jonathan Drouin – Max Pacioretty pairing has been something the Habs have wanted to work since the offseason. It made the most sense playing a natural goal-scorer with a natural playmaker. Unfortunately, the two haven’t been able to find any on-ice chemistry. Drouin and Pacioretty have put up points together on the power play though, but not too much at even strength. Their best play as a line ironically may have been in the preseason against the Washington Capitals when Ales Hemsky was the third man.
However, similar to a lot of Julien’s lineup blenders this season, if it’s not working again, it will be changed quickly. Alex Galchenyuk with Phillip Danault is another experiment the Habs are going back to that didn’t have the results the coaching staff hoped for.
Adding Charles Hudon may be a difference maker considering how many shots and scoring chances he creates on his own. Galchenyuk knows how to put himself in the right position to score and with Danault on the defensive side of the puck, the three of them could work well.
Oh yeah, Danault is back! The 24-year-old will be playing his game since the scary incident that landed him in the hospital at the beginning of January. The Habs have had to push some players over as placeholders to compensate such as Paul Byron, but that decision started to lose its flair.
Those aren’t the only returns. Based on the lines at this morning, the electric fourth line of Nicolas Deslauriers, Byron Froese, and Daniel Carr is back. Deslauriers has been scratched for the last two games and may be back with an extra step to his game now that he has a new extension. The three were at their best when playing together, so it only makes sense to go back with it.
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Although the Flyers are in a playoff spot, they still have something to fight for. For one, based on how tight the Metropolitan Division has been, a stretch of wins from a team below them can intensify the pressure. Additionally, Philadelphia is close enough to Pittsburgh to challenge them for second in the division and lock up home ice advantage in the first round.
Goaltending has been the main blemish for the Flyers all season. They appeared to have fixed it up by trading for Petr Mrazek yesterday, but it’ll be 25-year-old Alex Lyon who the Habs will be facing. Additionally, general manager Ron Hextall revealed that Wayne Simmonds is out for 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury. That’ll be a tough loss for the Flyers, especially on their power play as Simmonds has ten goals and six assists on the man advantage.
However, Claude Giroux, Jakub Vorachek, and Sean Courtier will still be threats on the ice with the offensive seasons they’ve had. The decision to move Giroux to the wing has provided him with a bounce-back year as his 69 points place him fourth in the league.
The tale of the last game between the Habs and Flyers was discipline as Montreal had Tomas Plekanec took three penalties. Artturi Lehkonen was able to score on one of them shorthanded, but Philly via Giroux and Vorachek converted on two of the four.
It’ll take more than a cool head to keep the Flyers’ offence at bay. If anyone is hoping for some kind of spark to be formed among the Habs forwards to overpower Philadelphia, it’s Julien.
Next: Galchenyuk is Still in Play
What are your expectations for the game? Will the blasts from the pasts work? Let us know your thoughts down below.