The Montreal Canadiens can end the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and advance to the playoffs, but they’ll need to get past Tristan Jarry first.
Today in the NHL, is a day filled with potential eliminations. There are six games on the books with teams up 2-1 in their respective series,’ and the Montreal Canadiens are one of them as they have the chance to move on and officially qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Game 3 started out poorly despite the Habs getting on the board first via Shea Weber. Pittsburgh came back with goals in quick succession to gain the 2-1 lead while Teddy Blueger got the team’s third. However, Montreal continued to plug away at the play scoring three goals in a row to walk away with the win.
A major improvement for the team was their level of play at 5v5. Pittsburgh had the edge in expected goals in all situations, but the Montreal Canadiens dominated at 5v5.
Another thing we saw was Claude Julien break out the line blender. Nick Suzuki saw time at 5v5 with Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallager, Phillip Danault played with Lehkonen and Paul Byron while Jesperi Kotkaniemi was reunited with Joel Armia and Jonathan Drouin. Those adjustments paid off, and the Habs dictated the pace and played their game.
Carey Price still needed to come up big, but he was getting support at the other end of the ice to give him a cushion.
Special teams are still an area the team needs to improve on. The penalty kill gave up two goals on three opportunities while the power play didn’t capitalize on any of their five chances. That may not be the biggest of concerns, especially if the Canadiens maintain their play at 5v5, but if they need a goal to tie the game or bury the Penguins, the special teams must step up.
As for the lines, it’s not clear whether Claude Julien is going to stick with his makeshift lines or go back to the usual standard. Additionally, Jake Evans was forced to leave Game 3 after a hit along the boards, and Julien hasn’t revealed who will replace him. Odds are it’s Jordan Weal, who Evans replaced in the first place.
On Pittsburgh’s end, Tristan Jarry is getting the start over Matt Murray. This has been an interesting storyline all series as fans were begging for Jarry to play, but it seemed as if Mike Sullivan wanted to put faith in the goaltender who helped them win two Stanley Cups. However, that game-winning goal via Jeff Petry is a tough one to give up, and the Penguins acted accordingly.
Tristan Jarry was the better of the two goalies rocking a .921 save percentage to Murray’s .899. The Montreal Canadiens have faced him twice, getting a win and lose in each game. The first saw Jarry allow 3 goals on 25 shots for a .880 Sv% while he rebounded in their second meeting, stopping 34 of 35 shots for a .971.
The Pittsburgh Penguins feel Jarry can be a difference-maker, but the Montreal Canadiens must stick to what worked in Game 3.