The Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets will play Game 2 tonight at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg. The Montreal Canadiens took a 1-0 series lead on Wednesday night with a convincing 5-3 win. There was however some bad blood injected into the series, as Mark Scheifele caught Jake Evans with a vicious hit that forced Evans to be taken off on a stretcher.
Evans has been ruled out indefinitely with a concussion, while Scheifele received a four-game suspension.
Both teams will have to make adjustments to their lineups for Game 2, but new personnel won’t expunge the hatred that has undoubtedly boiled over from the ending of Game 1.
Emotions will be running high, but it is crucial that the Canadiens remain cool and don’t take needless penalties. The best form of revenge would be winning the series.
After a sub-par regular season, Eric Staal will look to continue his strong playoff performance, collecting six points in seven games. Staal has found great chemistry with Joel Armia and Corey Perry on the fourth line.
The Canadiens’ blueline has been very effective thus far in the playoffs. The top-four of Weber , Chiarot, Edmunson and Petry have all elevated their games and played a key role in getting past the Toronto Maple Leafs. The top-four will continue to play heavy minutes in this series, as the Jets are loaded with talent up front.
Carey Price, the MVP of the playoffs for the Canadiens thus far, played very well in Game 1 and will try to outduel his counterpart Connor Hellebuyck again tonight in Game 2.
Player to watch: Cole Caufield
After being scratched the first two games of the playoffs, Cole Caufield arrived on the scene in Game 3 of the first-round series versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although he has only collected two assists in six games, the American sniper made an immediate impact after being inserted in the lineup. Usually the diminutive forward makes his presence felt on the score sheet, but it has been his defensive play and offensive instinct that has stood out the most.
Caufield has found chemistry with linemates Tyler Toffoli and Nick Suzuki. The trio has evolved into the Canadiens’ most potent line offensively and is often Dominique Ducharme’s go-to for deployment on offensive zone draws.
Throughout his first six games of playoff action, Caufield has shown flares of his lethal shot and his offensive creativity, but has been reluctant to shoot the puck. One has to think that it comes down to confidence and fear of making the right play. However, Caufield’s confidence has been growing and the puck seems to be following him around the ice.
Once the young star is able to get one, the floodgates are going to open, especially with the next-level play of his linemate in Nick Suzuki.
The Jets will be keeping a close eye on #22 and so should you.
Projected Lineup:
Lehkonen-Danault-Gallagher
Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield
Byron-Kotkaniemi-Anderson
Armia-Staal-Perry
Chiarot-Weber
Edmundson-Petry
Romanov-Kulak
Price
Allen
Projected Starting Goaltenders:
Carey Price
2020-2021 Playoff Stats: 8 GP, 5-3-0, 0.928 SV%, 2.33 GAA
Price has been rock solid so far in the postseason and will make his ninth consecutive start on Friday.
Connor Hellebuyck
2020-2021 Playoff Stats: 5 GP, 4-1-0, 0.937 SV%, 2.01 GAA
Hellebuyck led the Jets to a first-round sweep of the Oilers and will look to regain his confidence after a shaky first game versus the Canadiens.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on CBC, Sportsnet, USA Network, and TVA Sports.