The Montreal Canadiens will have one new and not so new face in the lineup with Mike Reilly and Nikita Scherbak in to take on the New York Islanders.
It’s easy not to focus on the number of games the Montreal Canadiens have lost lately with what they’ve added to the lineup. However, the anti-goal-scoring bug has returned for another vacation in the Habs locker room as they haven’t scored more than three since their 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. We also can’t fail to mention that their 1-0 shutout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was their ninth this season and most among all teams in the NHL.
Besides that, which is pretty hard to ignore, the Habs have been playing some decent hockey in their last three matches. Of course, that correlates with the promotions of both Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen. Claude Julien has allowed the youth on the blueline to play to their strengths.
In the case of Juulsen, he’s proving every night why he would’ve made the team out of camp if not for his foot injury. His skating and on-ice reads are one thing, but he plays and handles the puck as if he’s been in the league for years. The 20-year-old has yet to find his first NHL point, but if he continues trending in this direction, it’ll come sooner rather than later.
However, the young additions continue with the new faces drawing in for tonight’s game. Nikita Scherbak isn’t entirely new at all, but he’s making a return to the Habs’ lineup after a brief stint in the AHL. The 22-year-old demonstrated a lot more confidence in his previous seven games in a Canadiens uniform and seemed to be re-lighting his chemistry with Alex Galchenyuk.
Considering the Habs didn’t leave him down past the deadline, it seems like the plan is to keep him up for the rest of the season. Scherbak was starting to find his stride offensively before being sent down again so. Hopefully, he can continue that in these final 20 games.
The actual new guy in town is Mike Reilly. The 24-year-old skates, well can make a play, and has a great shot as demonstrated in yesterday’s practice. A player of his calibre meets the goals of where Marc Bergevin wants the team to trend towards in youth, speed, and character. Reilly won’t be expected to carry the team on his back as he’ll be on the bottom pair with Jordie Benn, but he probably hopes he can have an impact in his debut with the team.
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The Islanders are in the same position they were in the last time they face off against the Habs. They’re currently four points out of the final wild-card spot and tied with the Carolina Hurricanes. They also have the Florida Panthers on their heels who are 7-3-0 in their last ten. Seeing as how the Panthers have three games in hand on them, the Islanders will be fighting for points, and a game against Montreal is a place where they expect to get them.
Matthew Barzal and John Tavares continue to be names to watch out for if you’re the Habs. Barzal, in particular, is continuing to make a name for himself as a superstar in this league despite this being his first full season in the NHL. The 20-year-old has 17 goals and 49 assists and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Tavares speaks for himself. The pending free agent has now scored at least 30 goals for the fourth time in his career. Tavares had two against Montreal their last game, including the overtime winner, so locking him down will be a priority.
As much as getting a win is important for the coaching staff to hold the latest slump of losses to three, watching how the young players fair against top players in the league will be something to watch as well.
What are your expectations for the game? How will Reilly fit into the system? Let us know in the comments below.