Game 10 - Canadiens at Flames

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

The Canadiens (7-2-0) are in Calgary Tuesday night to face the Flames (5-4-1) at the Saddledome. The game is set to start at 9:00 and can be seen on RDS2 and City-Montreal.

This is the first of two games between the Habs and Flames this season, they'll meet again this coming Sunday back at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Last season the teams split their two meetings, with Carey Price and the Canadiens earning a 2-0 win on home ice. The Habs got goals from Rene Bourque and David Desharnais to help power them to victory.

What to Watch

For the first time this season, the Habs were shut out Monday night against the Oilers, a 3-0 defeat, despite directing 29 shots at Ben Scrivens. Manny Malhotra had a rare off night at the faceoff dot, winning just 41.7% of his draws. It marked the first game this season that Malhotra ended the game under 50% on the draw.

24-year-old Calgary native Joe Colborne is of to the hottest start of his career with eight assists in ten games. Colbourne is playing on a line with Jiri Hudler and Sean Monahan. Defenseman TJ Brodie, also got off to a strong start this season and parlayed that into a five-year, 4.65 million AAV contract extension.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens are still on top of the NHL, but things can change very quickly in this league. With division rivals like the Lightning and Bruins facing injury trouble early this season, the Habs should be looking to build up their cushion while they have a chance. The team will also want to bounce back after being held goalless the night before.

Who's Out

Czech rookie Jiri Sekac has been a healthy scratch for the past three games, but after the team's poor offensive showing on Monday he could finally draw back into the line-up. Jarred Tinordi was left in the press box on Monday as well in favor of Nathan Beaulieu.

The Flames were without winger David Jones (lower body) for most of this season, but he's expected to make his return on Tuesday. Mason Raymond is day-to-day with an upper body injury and is expected to miss the game against the Habs.

What Else

While the Canadiens had another strong night on the penalty kill Monday, they also continued to struggle on the power play, going 0-for-4. The Habs are now 23rd in the league with the man advantage, scoring just three times on 26 opportunities, including an empty net power play goal against the Bruins. The Canadiens have generated a mere 34 power play shots this season, adding three shots on four PP attempts on Monday.

The Question Mark

What do the Habs need to do to improve their power play?

Tonight's Show

Join host Steven Hindle along with Kosta Papoulias and Rob Elbaz for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 8:00 on Tuesday to preview the Flames and Canadiens.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens vs Flames (Game #57)

Match Up:

The Canadiens (29-21-6) play games 3 in their 4-game homestand Tuesday night when they host the Flames (21-27-7). The game starts at 7:30 and is on RDS and TSN-Habs.

This is the second and final game between these teams this season. The Flames handed the Habs their second loss of the season in early October, and one of just two losses in their first seven games of the year. Calgary jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 win. Rookie Sean Monahan opened the scoring and picked up an assist on Calgary's second goal.
 
What to Watch:

The Canadiens announced Monday the acquisition of Dale Weise from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Raphael Diaz. Weise looks to fit into the Habs' bottom six forwards, but it's unclear who he'll play with. The good news for Habs fans is that the 25-year old is already having a career year in terms of points scored; the bad news is that in 44 games he has 3 goals and 12 points.

Despite a mediocre record, the Flames are on a 5-game winning streak heading into Tuesday's game. Mikael Backlund has now strung together 4 2-point games in a row, with 5 goals and 3 assists over that span. He was named the NHL's Third Star last week. Jiri Hudler leads the Flames with 42 points on the season. The former Red Wing is having a career year, his best prior season was 2008-2009 when he totaled 57 points.
 
What's at Stake:

The Habs have just 3 games remaining before taking two and a half weeks off for Sochi and they've slipped down to fourth place in the Atlantic division and seventh seed in the playoff race, just two points up on the Red Wings. A win will at least let the Canadiens pace with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have a game in hand and a 2-point lead in the standings over Montreal.
 
Who's Out:

The Habs are missing Alex Galchenyuk (hand), Davis Drewiske (shoulder) and Ryan White (upper body). Francis Bouillon has missed the last 6 games as a healthy scratch.

The Flames are missing Karri Ramo (knee) and Curtis Glencross (lower body).

What Else:

The Montreal - Vancouver trade marks the first trade for both teams since the season began. With just over two weeks of hockey left to play before the March 5 deadline, 21 deals have already been made this season. During the strike shortened 2012-2013 campaign there were 69 trades during the season, including 17 on deadline day. Montreal's biggest deal last year was a swap that sent Erik Cole to Dallas in exchange for Michael Ryder and a third round draft pick.

The Question Mark:

A day later, how do you feel  about the Raphael Diaz-Dale Weise swap?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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