The Montreal Canadiens are going to be looking to build on their 5-4 overtime win against the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night, on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is a matchup between two teams heading in opposite directions, as the Canadiens have won six of their last seven while the Maple Leafs have lost three of their last four.
When looking ahead to this matchup, these are four players that Montreal Canadiens fans should watch closely against the Maple Leafs.
Kirby Dach
Nick Suzuki wasn't the only player to make a return to the lineup against the Utah Mammoth as Kirby Dach returned after missing the prior two games. Dach made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist and had his best game of the season.
The Canadiens right now have a surplus at forward, with Owen Beck being bumped after Dach's return. It is only going to get even more crowded once Ivan Demidov is able to return, so the pressure will be on players like Dach to continue to deliver to keep his spot in the lineup.
Juraj Slafkovsky
After a slow start, Slafkovsky has started to pick up his play with three points in the last two games and 10 assists in the last 11 games. The top line of Suzuki, Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield was one of the big reasons they were able to get the win against the Mammoth.
While Slafkovsky has been better, one area that is still lacking is goal-scoring as he now has only two on the season and hasn't scored a goal in seven straight games. The Maple Leafs have the seventh-best goals scored per game average at 3.65, and it could be another high-scoring game for Montreal. If that is the case, they are going to need a player like Slafkovsky to find that scoring touch and chip in.
Alexandre Carrier and Kaiden Guhle
The last two players worth watching are defensemen Alexander Carrier and Kaiden Guhle, both in 5v5 situations but more so on the penalty kill. The Canadiens have now given up at least one power-play goal in three straight games and are coming off a game against Utah where the Mammoth converted three of five power-play opportunities.
The Maple Leafs are one of the better power play units in the NHL and have the sixth-best power play percentage at 28.8%. It is going to be important for Montreal to not take unnecessary penalties but if they do, they need to kill off those power plays.
There is no question that special teams can be a great equalizer in a meeting between two teams heading in opposite directions. If the Canadiens do end up on the penalty kill, Guhle and Carrier are going to need to deliver better performances than they did against Utah.
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