Match Up:
The
Canadiens (37-25-7) welcome Patrick Roy to the Bell Centre for the
first time as coach of the Avalanche (44-19-5) Tuesday night. The game
is set to start at 7:30 and airs on RDS and TSN-Habs.
This is the
last of two meetings between the Habs and Avs this season, and the only
one in Montreal. Colorado won the first game 4-1 on the strength of
three unanswered third period goals, including PA Parenteau's empty
netter. Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog each
scored for the Avalanche, while Habs youngsters Brendan Gallagher and
Alex Galchenyuk and PK Subban combined for Montreal's lone goal.
What to Watch:
Michel
Therrien changed around his lineup again for Sunday's game again the
Sabres, putting Brian Gionta alongside Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk
while Daniel Briere and Brendan Gallagher played on a line with Tomas
Plekanec. Thomas Vanek had 6 shots against his former club on Sunday but
is still looking for his first goal as a Hab.
While Matt Duchene
leads the Avalanche with 64 points in 65 games, even more impressive may
be the fact the the offensive duo of Landeskog and 18-year old
MacKinnon are each a plus 19 this season, sharing the team lead in that
department. With 52 points, MacKinnon leads all rookies in scoring. The
Avs already have 5 players to hit the 20 goal mark this season, Duchene,
Landeskog, MacKinnon are all there along with Ryan O'Reilly and Paul
Stastny.
What's at Stake:
The Canadiens and
the Avalanche are both fighting for home playoff races but the return
of Patrick Roy to Montreal as coach of the Avalanche will take center
stage. Roy has his team just a point ahead of Chicago in the race for
second place in the Central and home ice advantage in the playoffs. The
Canadiens are in a three-way fight with the Leafs and the Bolts for
second in their division and home ice in the first round.
Who's Out:
Michael
Bournival has been cleared to play but will be doing so in Hamilton, he
was sent to the Bulldogs on a conditioning stint following his
concussion. Josh Gorges (hand) is still out until at least the start of
April.
The Avs are without PA Parenteau (knee) and Alex Tanguay (hip) while Paul Stastny is day-to-day with an upper body injury.
What Else:
Patrick
Roy returns to Montreal, bringing together the only two teams he ever
played for, winning a combined 4 Stanley Cups, a pair with each of his
teams and the last two in their history. As impressive as his on ice
performances were, he's off to a strong start in his second NHL career.
The Avs are already up to 93 points with over a dozen games left on the
season, on pace for their best regular season record since the 2000-01,
the year of their last Cup win.
The Question Mark:
Something
a little special for the Question Mark today, send your answers to
@MTLHockeytalk on Twitter with the hashtag #MTLHockey:
- Draw the most unfair comparison you can of Carey Price to Patrick Roy.
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