Canadiens: 3 Keys to Bouncing Back and Finding Victory over Oilers

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The Canadiens and Oilers will face each other for the fifth time this season tonight in Montreal. The Habs have had the upper hand over Edmonton so far, taking 3 of the 4 previous meetings. Montreal was dominant in their last outing versus the Oilers, posting a 4-0 victory while holding the Oilers to just 17 shots.

The Oilers come into town having won their most recent game against the Flames and sit tied for second in the North division with the Winnipeg Jets, six points clear of the Canadiens who have four games in hand. Montreal was on the losing end of a battle with Ottawa on Saturday and will look to bounce back.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been on a torrent pace in the first half of the season, posting 64 and 56 points a piece though 38 games.

The Canadiens received a boost to their lineup on Saturday night, as Tyler Toffoli rejoined the team after a three game absence and scored in his return.

New comer Eric Staal skated alone on Sunday afternoon and is slated to make his Canadiens debut on Monday night. It is unclear where Staal will slot into the lineup as of yet.

Expect Carey Pice to get the start in goal as he aims to rebound from a shaky outing against Ottawa on Saturday.

Here are the Canadiens’ 3 Keys To Victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 11: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at the Bell Centre on February 11, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Contain McDavid

It goes without saying that every team is aware when Connor McDavid is on the ice. McDavid is a generational talent and as mentioned before, has put up astronomical numbers in the North Division this season. However, Montreal has done a fantastic job thus far in containing McDavid and limiting his space.

Of the four games that McDavid has played against the Canadiens he has only registered two assists, while tearing up the rest of the North division teams.

In the last meeting between the Oilers and Canadiens, it was quite apparent as to how the Canadiens were taking away McDavid’s space. McDavid uses his speed as a weapon and preys on open space and ice through the neutral zone.

For many of his goals, he gains speed though the neutral zone, picks up the puck, and goes through or around defensemen at blistering speeds to create breakaway chances for himself.

Montreal has an answer to this, as McDavid was being shadowed last time the Canadiens and Oilers met. Shadowing is a tactic that teams generally use in minor level hockey to take away the opposition’s best player. Well, the Canadiens have translated that to the NHL and constantly have a forward attached to McDavid’s hip while he is in the neutral zone. This effectively takes away his chances to gain any speed or open ice, the two things he loves the most.

MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 30: Jeff Petry Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Tighten up defensively

On Saturday night, the Canadiens gave up 6 goals to the last place Senators and were seemingly out of sorts in their own end. Turnovers proved to be costly and the Habs’ top-four were not their usual selves in terms of defensive coverage and position.

Jeff Petry had arguably his worst game of the season, going -5 in 19:24 of ice-time.

The Canadiens’ top defenseman was visibly frustrated in his press conference after the Ottawa game and said that he will need to put that performance behind him and focus on Monday’s matchup versus Edmonton.

Petry and the Canadiens’ defensive core will need to be better, as the Oilers boast both McDavid and Draisaitl, the top two scorers in the National Hockey League.

The Canadiens will need to be sharper mentally, and put together a strong defensive performance to take two points away from tonight’s game.

MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 10: Jesperi Kotkaniemi Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Use Depth

Beyond McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers struggle with forward depth. The Tatar-Danault-Gallagher line has been red hot as of late for the Canadiens and is typically deployed against the opposition’s best line. It is all but certain that Danault will be matched up with McDavid all night and Suzuki or Kotkaniemi with Draisaitl.

While the Danault line is often faced with tough opponents they are still able to produce and are the best line in the NHL in expected goals percentage at 70.3%. The Kotkaniemi and Suzuki lines are both operating at well above 60%.

With three dangerous lines, Montreal should be able to take advantage of the bottom two forward lines for the Oilers. Look for Dom Ducharme to capitalize on having the last change and deploy his most dangerous forwards on offensive zone draws and after icings.

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There are some advantageous match ups to be had.

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