Game 9 - Canadiens at Oilers

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

The Canadiens (7-1-0) head west to open a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Oilers (3-4-1) Monday night. The game starts at 9:30 and can be seen on RDS and Sportsnet.

This is the first of two meetings between the Habs and Oilers, Edmonton will come to Montreal in February to complete the series. Last season the teams split their season series, the Habs scored a 4-1 win in Edmonton, while the Oilers took a 4-3 decision in Montreal less than two weeks later.

What to Watch

The Canadiens' penalty kill was working well during their home-stand. The Canadiens killed off 11 of 12 power plays in the last four games and added a short-handed goal in Saturday's match against the Rangers. Max Pacioretty set up Tomas Plekanec for the short-handed marker and added a goal to give him seven points on the year, six of which came in the last four games.

The Oilers have plenty of scoring threats up front including Taylor Hall (4g, 3a), Jordan Eberle (2g, 4a) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3g, 1a), but the team still struggles to keep goals out of their own net. The team is middle of the pack in terms of goals for, but with an average of 3.88 goals against per game, they're dead last in the NHL in that department.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens can have first place in the NHL all to themselves with a win or OT loss on Monday. The Habs were a perfect 4-0-0 at home and will look to extend their four-game win streak with a strong showing against the Oilers, who sit in last place in the Pacific division.

Who's Out

Brendan Gallagher missed some of Saturday's game but returned in time to help the Habs close out a 3-1 win over the Rangers. Aside for that the Canadiens have been healthy, meaning Michel Therrien has had to make some difficult line-up decision. Nathan Beaulieu hasn't seen action since the team's 7-1 loss in Tampa prior to their home-stand, while Jiri Sekac has missed the last two games.

Edmonton is missing winger Luke Gazdic (shoulder) and goalie Viktor Fasth (groin).

What Else

The Canadiens will blow into Western Canada like a whirlwind with three games in four nights, before returning home to host the Flames on Sunday. The Canadiens won three of four games on a similar trip last season, though this year they won't travel to Winnipeg just yet. With such a tight schedule, expect Dustin Tokarski to suit up for his second start of the season at some point this week.

The Question Mark

What aspect of Montreal's game has impressed you the most so far this season, which part could use improvement?

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 8:30 to preview the Canadiens and Oilers.

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Habs Overseas Prospects, Taylor Hall in AHL, Devin Setoguchi in ECHL, More

Good AM hockey fans!

So, what have you been doing with NHL hockey still in the dark?

I have been paying close attention to the American presidential election — after all, I am American. But, sporting wise, I've found no adequate replacement for my beloved Habs.

What about you? Have you gotten your hockey fix elsewhere or have you shifted your focus somewhere else?

Habs and Hockey News

- HabsWorld, which always has excellent prospect coverage, takes a look at Montreal Canadiens prospects playing in Europe.

- Taylor Hall has been cleared to join the AHL's Oklahoma Barons while Devin Setoguchi has signed with the ECHL's Ontario (Calfiornia) Reign.

- The Washington Capitals new head coach, Adam Oates, is slated to join the farm team in Hershey. An odd experiment, as ESPN's Scott Burnside points out.

- Ryan Kennedy looks at some of the NCCA-eligibility issues faced by the newly formed CHLPA.

(Photo via Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

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Arm Chair GM, Taylor Hall Extension, Talks Cancelled and More

Hola Hockey fans!

It's kind of funny that some of the owners claim to be losing money, especially when small market teams like the Edmonton Oilers start tossing significant amounts of cash around.

As you probably know, they just signed Taylor Hall to a seven-year, $42 million extension. That represents a $6 million cap hit.

Obviously, some teams need help, but at this point it feels like the NHL is crying wolf.

Habs and Hockey News

- Bryan Willey plays arm chair GM with the Montreal Canadiens and makes some pretty interesting trades.

- Rene Bourque is the topic of HabsWorld's Fantasy Focus series today. Also, be sure to Sean Lloyd's profile on the winger.

- Eric Engels has some notes on the Montreal Canadiens.

- Josh Gorges was apparently vocal at a recent NHLPA meeting. As for actual CBA negotiations, some talks were held yesterday, but the main session was cancelled. They should resume as planned today. Meanwhile, at Sports Illustrated, Stu Hackel breaks down why some owners are so staunchly opposed to revenue sharing.

- Antero Nittymaki is returning home and has signed to play with TPS Turku is the Finnish league. If that team sounds familiar to some of you, that's because Saku and Mikko Koivu played there as well.


(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

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