After opening the season with two road games, the Montreal Canadiens are set to play their home opener on Tuesday night. They will be playing against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, who ended their season after beating Montreal in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The game on Tuesday night isn't so much to try and get revenge for the Hurricanes knocking them out of the playoffs but use it as a measuring stick for where they are within the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens are trying to get to where Carolina has been, and it feels like if they are going to get there, they will need to go through the Hurricanes.
A lot can change from game three of the regular season to the playoffs, but these are three players worth watching in the game on Tuesday night.
Alex Newhook
Alex Newhook was almost unstoppable in the series against the Buffalo Sabres with six goals and one assist in seven games. However, he failed to have the same impact against the Hurricanes, with only one point and a +/- of -2 in five games.
This is a pivotal game for Newhook as he not only wants to show he can be productive against the Hurricanes but also to warrant holding onto his spot as center on the second line. Oliver Kapanen was back at practice on Monday and looks close to returning, if not as early as the game against the Hurricanes.
Kapanen spent most of the preseason on the second line, and if Newhook struggles, Martin St. Louis might be inclined to make the switch.
Lane Hutson
Another player who struggled against the Hurricanes was Lane Hutson and the Canadiens are unlikely to have much success if Hutson is not playing well. He is one of the best defensemen in the league and when he is playing at his best, Montreal is tough to beat.
Through the first two games, Hutson has three assists while averaging over 26:30 of ice time per game. The three points to begin the season are more than what he had in five games against the Hurricanes in the playoffs. It was a notable decrease in production after Hutson had 14 points in the 14 playoff games prior to that series.
Entering this game, there might be some question about who is paired with Hutson, as Alexandre Carrier left the game against the Penguins early due to injury. He was practicing on Monday, and he looks like he will be available but Kaiden Guhle also practiced without the non-contact jersey for the first time this season.
It will be interesting to see if Guhle is out there for this game or if he needs a little more practice time to be ready.
Jakub Dobes/Samuel Montembeault
Martin St. Louis didn't want to name a starting goalie for the game against the Hurricanes, but whoever is in net will be entering the game with some interesting storylines. For Jakub Dobes, he started the first two games for Montreal but is coming off a disappointing performance after allowing six goals to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dobes was the Canadiens' starting goalie in the playoffs and would play in every game against the Carolina Hurricanes. It wasn't his best performance, but it also wasn't his worst, as he allowed three or fewer goals in all but one game in this series.
If Dobes doesn't get the start, then Samuel Montembeault will be in net for Montreal after being named the backup out of training camp. It will be his first start since March 6th of last season and only his fourth start since the beginning of February after losing the starting job during last season.
Montembeault looked great this preseason and the thought is that the Canadiens are hoping he continues to play well in hopes of improving his trade value. A big performance against the Stanley Cup champions will certainly have teams around the league taking note.
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