A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: 3 Keys To Victory vs Jets

By Matthew Candy

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 02: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens tends goal against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 02: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens tends goal against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets will face off for the sixth time this season at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg. The Jets have won 3 of the 5 meetings between the two clubs thus far, with Montreal taking the most recent matchup 4-2 on Tuesday night.

The North division standings have tightened up as of late. The Jets currently sit second in the division with 36 points, while the Canadiens are in fourth place with a total of 33 points. A win for the Canadiens on Thursday night would help distance themselves from the Calgary Flames, who are hot on Montreal’s tail with 31 points.

Expect Carey Price to get the nod in goal. The 33-year-old has been red hot, posting a 4-1-1 record over his last six games with a .951 save percentage during that stretch. Montreal’s all-world goaltender was under the microscope in the month of February but has seemingly regained his form in early March.

With two goals on Tuesday night, Montreal’s Tyler Toffoli is in a tie for second with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the league lead in goals with 17.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme made a few tweaks to the defensive pairs on Tuesday in the absence of Ben Chiarot. Joel Edmundson lined up with Shea Weber, while Brett Kulak skated with Jeff Petry. Both pairs played very well, so there shouldn’t be any changes tonight.

The forward group also saw some changes. Jesperi Kotkaniami was elevated to the top line with Jonathan Drouin and Josh Anderson, while Nick Suzuki was deployed with Brendan Gallagher and Tyler Toffoli. Both lines contributed on the score sheet and showed chemistry, so they should remain the intact for tonight’s game.

Here are the three keys to victory versus Winnipeg.

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