The Montreal Canadiens road trip begins with a new (Jordan) Weal
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens are back on the road to take on the Los Angeles Kings who have given them trouble despite their difficulties this season.
It’s been a while since the Montreal Canadiens, and Los Angeles Kings saw each other. The two teams were at different points as far as expectations go. The Kings were expected to make another run at the playoffs with newly returned Ilya Kovalchuk in the ranks while the Habs were looking for any sign of optimism they could find after their performance the year before.
Now the shoes are on different feet. The Habs have stood out as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and look to be one of the 16 teams in the playoffs while the only thing the Kings will be watching in April is the draft lottery as they sit 29th in the league.
There have been several moving parts from the Kings lineup, including Nate Thompson who was recently moved to the Habs. Thompson didn’t spend too much time there, but it will be a touching night for him to come back to the city he called home for 79 games.
Los Angeles took the first game against Montreal which was the team’s home opener. Adrian Kempe, Michael Amadio, and Jeff Carter all scored while Jack Campbell stole the show stopping all 40 shots he faced for the shutout. The Montreal Canadiens can’t afford for something like that to happen again.
They’re coming off a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins where Brendan Gallagher was the only one to solve Matt Murray. Claude Julien made only a single alteration to the lineup in response which will see Jordan Weal make his debut with the Habs.
Weal was acquired on deadline day in exchange for Michael Chaput after stints with the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes this season. He’s a small-statured player with speed and some skill, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do in place of Jesperi Kotkaniemi who is getting the night off.
Montreal Canadiens
Forward Lines
Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Paul Byron – Max Domi – Andrew Shaw
Jonathan Drouin – Jordan Weal – Joel Armia
Artturi Lehkonen – Nate Thompson – Dale Weise
Defence Pairs
Victor Mete – Shea Weber
Jordie Benn – Jeff Petry
Brett Kulak/Mike Reilly – Christian Folin
Goaltenders
The Kings are 1-6-3 in their last ten getting that single win Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s a roster depleted of speed which should be a hunting ground for the Montreal Canadiens. However, they’ve proven they can step up when the opportunity presents itself, but with the season being so late, it could be challenging without much to play for.
Los Angeles Kings
Forward Lines
Dustin Brown – Anze Kopitar – Tyler Toffoli
Brendan Leipsic – Jeff Carter – Ilya Kovalchuk
Alex Iafallo – Adrian Kempe – Jonny Brodzinski
Kyle Clifford – Trevor Lewis – Matt Luff
Defence Pairs
Derek Forbot – Drew Doughty
Alex Martinez – Matt Roy
Dion Phaneuf – Sean Walker
Goaltenders
dark. Next. Was it right to scratch Kotkaniemi?
With Columbus, Carolina, and Pittsburgh all in action, it’s a must-win game for the Montreal Canadiens. The Kings are a bottom five team with names, but not much talent and the Habs have to capitalize on it.