The Montreal Canadiens will be looking to build off of their victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets with the Philadelphia Flyers in town.
Last game was fun. John Tortorella had a funny way to explain why Artemi Panarin wouldn’t be playing, Paul Byron returned in true Byron fashion scoring a goal, and the Montreal Canadiens ended their four-game losing streak.
But it’s not about a winning a game here or there; the Habs need to keep their foot on the gas and continue to stream more wins together. They created some point-separation however not enough to sit back and be complacent.
The lineup was altered a bit with Philip Danault missing last game as he and his wife welcomed their new baby boy into the world. He joined the team for morning skate and will likely be in his usual spot on the top line with Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar who is one goal away from hitting 20 goals for the fifth season in a row.
Byron quickly rekindled his chemistry with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia while Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi, and Andrew Shaw did some good things on the ice at both ends. Nate Thompson likely moves back to the fourth line, but it’s not clear who will be on his right wing.
We can assume Artturi Lehkonen will stay on the left leaving the decision to fall between Charles Hudon, Matthew Peca, or Nicolas Deslauriers. Given the Flyers’ playing style, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Deslauriers get the nod to match the heavy atmosphere. On the other hand, if the Montreal Canadiens want to have the chance to generate some offensive opportunities via Lehkonen, Hudon or Peca make more sense.
Montreal Canadiens
Forward Lines
Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Jonathan Drouin – Max Domi – Andrew Shaw
Paul Byron – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Joel Armia
Artturi Lehkonen – Nate Thompson – Charles Hudon/Matthew Peca/Nicolas Deslauriers
Defence Pairs
Victor Mete – Shea Weber
Mike Rielly – Jeff Petry
Brett Kulak – Jordie Benn
Goaltenders
Philidelphia is coming off a tough loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have a pair of injuries but also will be without Radko Gudas who is serving a suspension for a slash on Nikita Kucherov.
Claude Giroux is leading the team in scoring with 61 points while Sean Courtier is the main goal producer with 24 on the season.
The main story with the Flyers is the growth of Carter Hart who has taken the net for the team. The 20-year-old is 13-7-1 with a .920 save percentage and is the main reason why Philadelphia is still in the hunt for a playoff spot opposed to selling.
Forward Lines
James van Riemsdyk – Claude Giroux – Travis Konecny
Oskar Lindholm – Sean Courtier – Jakub Vorachek
Scott Laughton – Nolan Patrick – Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl – Phil Varone – Justin Bailey
Defence Pairs
Ivan Provorov – Travis Sanheim
Robert Hagg – Andrew MacDonald
Shane Gostisbehere – Philippe Myers
Goaltenders
Carter Hart
Brian Elliott
The Flyers had a rough loss and want to respond quickly acknowledging sloppy play as one of their weaknesses. The Montreal Canadiens will have success as long as they dictate the level of the competition and don’t take a backseat like they did the first time they played each other.
Flyers at Canadiens
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Location: Bell Centre
Broadcast: TSN2, RDS, NBCSP