Canadiens road trip preview: Eight points up for grabs out west

The Competition

The swing starts on Wednesday, October 22nd, with a stop in Cowtown to take on the struggling Calgary Flames, sitting at a 1-6-0 record. The playoff bubble team from last season will be looking to rebound. Calder candidate netminder Dustin Wolf has had a difficult go of things, sitting at a -7.9 goals saved above expected, sitting with a 3.91 GAA. The flipside is also true of their offence, trading with the Ducks and Sharks for least goals for in the NHL. The Canadiens have a good chance to roll over a team still fighting for stability.

Thursday brings a battle with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, who, in what almost seems like a cruel habit, are having a stumbling start to their season. Offence has eluded the Oilers, faring little better than their Albertan counterparts in the goals for, with McDavid finally netting his first of the season Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. As anyone who’s watched hockey knows, expectations are high for the back-to-back cup finalists, and they aren’t going to just roll over.

Saturday night sees the Habs visit the Vancouver Canucks, who have been floating around the top of the Pacific division behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Vancouver, much like the Habs, has been shuffling lines. Brock Boeser has also taken a leave of absence, leaving a gap in the Canucks forward depth. Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko has been solid as ever, winning three of his first four starts on the season with a .922 SV% and 2.28 GAA.

Rounding out the trip, the Canadiens slip south of the border on Tuesday, the 28th, to take on an already familiar foe, the Seattle Kraken. The two teams most recently clashed during the Habs' home opener on October 14th, with the Canadiens skating away with a 5-4 overtime victory. The Kraken have historically given the Habs some trouble, with the Canadiens holding a 4-3-2 record all-time against the 2021 expansion team.

Lineup lookout

The Habs have caught an early-season case of the injury bug, as last Saturday, it was announced that the three lineup regulars would be out of action. Kaiden Guhle was listed as out 4-6 weeks, while Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach were day-to-day. As a result, Owen Beck was called up to slot in during the matches against the Rangers and Sabres. Tuesday morning saw an update on both fronts. Kirby Dach was seen skating and fully participating in practice. Meanwhile, Beck was sent back to the Laval Rocket, with 26-year-old d-man Marc Del Gaizo and, probably more surprisingly, forward Joshua Roy being brought up to the big club to support the westbound sojourn.

Del Gaizo is essentially an insurance policy while the team is on the road, as both Struble and Xhekaj are slotted into the defensive structure full-time until Guhle returns. Joshua Roy is a bit more of a head scratcher. Some have floated the idea that Roy is on some sort of “showoff tour” to give scouts a glimpse of what may be available if he were put to market; others may see a call-up as a more “prove-it” move. The fact of the matter is, the Habs need a boost to depth scoring, and Roy has been potting points (3 goals, 1 assist, 4 games played) in the AHL this year, and Habs brass may be hoping he can keep rolling on the big stage.

Net-Minded

There isn’t a goalie controversy in Montreal! Well, at least not yet. After a let’s stay polite, subpar start to the year for Samuel Montembeault, questions about the Habs goalie situation have ignited. Montembeault has started off with undesirable stats: -3.6 goals saved above expected, a 3.26 GAA, .857 save percentage and a 2-2 record. After a sub-par 4-3 losing performance against the Rangers, he felt the need to claim it, saying, "I will take the bulk of the blame. I need to be better. The guys work hard and play well on both sides of the puck; it's up to me to make the saves."

Conversely, Jakub Dobes has been stellar in his starts, going 3 for 3, a 1.63 GAA and a .939 save percentage. So, with his start Monday night against Buffalo, stopping 29 of 31 shots on goal, many of those in multi-shot flurries where he had to stay solid, he reaffirmed his steadiness. Let's be realistic, Dobes isn't going to become the starter anytime soon, but the number of important games he may play in is likely more than that of just the 17 back-to-backs this season.

All this to say, keep an eye on how the two 'tenders are deployed this trip; it may tell a tale of how the game splits may shake down in the coming months. Regardless, for fans in EST time zones and heading more east, maybe have an extra cup of coffee with dinner because this road trip is well worth staying up for.