A Winning Habit
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Channeling the power of Halloween will boost the Montreal Canadiens

By Omar L

CALGARY, AB - OCTOBER 30: Montreal Canadiens fans cheer on their team in their halloween costumes during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on October 30, 2015 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB - OCTOBER 30: Montreal Canadiens fans cheer on their team in their halloween costumes during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on October 30, 2015 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens will need all the stops they can get as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights and perhaps the spookiness of Halloween can help.

It’s the day of costumes, candy and screams as the calendar hits October 31st. Halloween came early for the Montreal Canadiens this week, considering they left for the road Wednesday. The trip has been positive so far, considering their 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. It’ll be a tough task to walk into Las Vegas and steal two points, but there are a few things Claude Julien can do to ensure the Habs win.

1) The Ultimate Promise

Jeff O’Neil talks about this all the time from his former days a player. If Julien wants to give the team some incentive to win, he could find something wrong with the plane heading to Dallas for Saturday’s game. Who would pass up a Halloween night in Vegas?

2) Rely on the Sub-ins

Keith Kinkaid going in for Carey Price is a no-brainer. The Habs haven’t shied away from playing Price in back-to-back games, but it’s far too early for something like that to happen.

Perhaps Jordan Weal draws into the lineup for this one. Weal hasn’t played since Montreal’s Sunday loss to the Minnesota Wild. Julien could also give Brett Kulak an opportunity to shine a positive light on himself in favour of Mike Reilly.

There’s also this final and most important maneuver.

3) Channel the power of Halloween

The Montreal Canadiens need to storm into that arena and make it their own. Whether it’s through intimidation, offensive flair, or physicality, the Habs must scare the Golden Knights. Bringing out their costumes from earlier in the week will do wonders.

Will Victor Mete show off some mojo on the ice? Can Jesperi Kotknaiemi steal pucks on an offensive heist and put them past Marc-Andre Fleury? Maybe Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin unlock their inner beast.

Anything is possible in Vegas, add Halloween to that, and it’s the perfect recipe for a frightening game.

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