CANADIENS (33-21-8) at DEVILS (25-25-11)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+, SNE, RDS, NHL.TV
Canadiens team scope
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Al Montoya will make his first start since a 4-2 loss against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 11. Montoya is 4-1-1 in his past six games, and 6-2-2 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in 11 games against the Devils. The Canadiens are 3-7-1 in the past 11 games, but haven't allowed a power-play goal (11-of-11) in four games since Julien replaced Michel Therrien as coach Feb. 14. "It's been a positive experience under Julien so far," center Alex Galchenyuk said. "He keeps the guys loose and we've had good practices and we've been comfortable with him." The Canadiens average 2.74 goals, tied for 15th in the NHL, but have scored 23 in the past 13 games (1.77). Montreal, which is playing the first of four games in six days, is first in the Atlantic Division with 74 points, having played two more games than the second-place Ottawa Senators. "We're not worried about streaks or what we can't control, but this is a good opportunity for us to gain momentum (after a 3-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday)," captain Max Pacioretty said. "I liked the way we played against the Maple Leafs; maybe we need to make more tape-to-tape passes and try and be a little more crisp coming out of our end. We need to build off that win and not worry about the scores or streaks but building on the process of making sure we play the right way." The Canadiens have outscored the Devils 8-3 in winning both previous meetings this season.
Devils team scope
New Jersey Devils defenseman Kyle Quincey will be not be in the lineup with the NHL Trade Deadline approaching at 3 p.m. ET March 1. "I know as much as you guys," Quincey said. "It's that time of the year. They're playing it safe. I guess they want to make sure I don't get hurt before the deadline. It's not a healthy-scratch situation; they're just keeping me out because of the trade deadline." Quincey is on an expiring contract with a $1.25 million cap charge, according to capfriendly.com. He is averaging 18:38 of ice time and can play both the left and right side. PA Parenteau injured a finger in a 4-3 overtime loss against the New York Rangers on Saturday and is day-to-day; he will be replaced in the lineup by Blake Coleman. Coleman, who was recalled from Albany of the American Hockey League on Sunday, has one assist in five games with the Devils this season. Goaltender Cory Schneider will make his third straight start and 11th in the past 12 games. He is 1-2-2 with a 2.70 GAA and .914 save percentage in five games against the Canadiens. The Devils have scored a power-play goal in three straight games, and in eight of the past 10 games, during which they are 11 for 24 (45.8 percent) on the man-advantage. They are eight points behind Toronto for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference and would also have to surpass five other teams. New Jersey is 3-4-2 against the Canadiens at Prudential Center since the 2011-12 season.
Canadiens projected lineup
Max Pacioretty -- Phillip Danault -- Alexander Radulov
Artturi Lehkonen -- Alex Galchenyuk -- Brendan Gallagher
Paul Byron -- Tomas Plekanec -- Andrew Shaw
Sven Andrighetto -- David Desharnais -- Torrey Mitchell
Nathan Beaulieu -- Nikita Nesterov
Al Montoya
Scratched: Brian Flynn, Michael McCarron, Greg Pateryn
Injured: None
Devils projected lineup
Taylor Hall -- Travis Zajac -- Kyle Palmieri
Beau Bennett -- Adam Henrique -- Joseph Blandisi
Michael Cammalleri -- Jacob Josefson -- Stefan Noesen
Miles Wood -- Blake Coleman -- Devante Smith-Pelly
Cory Schneider
Scratched: Seth Helgeson, Kyle Quincey
Injured: Pavel Zacha (concussion), PA Parenteau (finger)
Status report
Price is expected to start against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Bell Centre in Montreal on Tuesday. It appears Julien will keep Weber with Markov, and Emelin with Petry, to begin the game; he had them together Saturday. ... Devils coach John Hynes confirmed Coleman would start on a line with Wood and Smith-Pelly. "The reason we want him back here is his speed and aggressiveness," Hynes said. "He did a nice job on faceoffs when he came up. He really pushed the pace of play and did a good job in helping us have territory." Zacha, who will miss his second straight game, skated on his own for the first time since sustaining his injury against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. "Now we have to see how he responds to [the skate]," Hynes said.
Who's hot
Pacioretty has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in the past 12 games. ... Hall has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the past 11 games. Zajac has six points (two goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak. Palmieri has five points (three goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://almosthuman99.com
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/babes/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/hunks/hunkofthemonth.html
No comments:
Post a Comment