Game 45: Canadiens vs Predators

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

After beating the best team in the East on Saturday, the Canadiens (28-13-3) play host to the Central division leading Predators (30-10-4). The game is set to start at 7:30 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet East.

This is the first of two meetings between the Habs and Preds this season, and the only one in Montreal. Last year these team played a pair of tight games, with the Habs losing the first 2-1 on a late goal by Seth Jones and winning the second 4-3 in overtime thanks to a fantastic individual effort from David Desharnais.

What to Watch

Tomas Plekanec had a career night on Saturday with two goals and two assists in Montreal's 6-4 win over the Islanders. Plekanec was playing his third straight game on a line with Max Pacioretty, who picked up a pair of assists of his own on Saturday. Pacioretty's six-game goal streak came to an end last game, but his current seven-game point streak is still intact.

Not only has Filip Forsberg been one of the biggest stories for the Predators this season, he's been a big story in the NHL as the current front-runner for rookie of the year. Forsberg has 39 points in 43 games and a third best +23 rating on the season.

What's at Stake

After beating the Islanders on Saturday, the Canadiens get another chance to prove they deserve to be considered among the league's elite by taking on the NHL's best team in terms of points percentage. The Predators have earned 72.7% of their possible points this season to lead all teams, but the Habs are hot on their heels at 67.0%, good for fifth overall.

Who's Out

All signs point to a return to action for Carey Price, who wasn't dressed for Saturday's game. P.A. Parenteau (concussion) is expected to miss Tuesday's game as symptoms of the concussion he suffered against the Devils earlier in the month have returned.

While Price may be ready to return on Tuesday, Preds netminder Pekka Rinne (knee) won't be back for at least the next few weeks. Eric Nystrom (upper body) and Ryan Ellis (lower body) are also out.

What Else

This is the last game before the Habs break for the upcoming All-Star Game this weekend. When they return to action, the Canadiens will play a stretch of 21 games in 40 days from January 27 to March 7.

The Question Mark

Last game we asked which Hab needs to step up in the second half of the season, this time we want to know which Hab has most surpassed your expectations so far this season.

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 6:30 to preview the Canadiens and the Predators.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Predators (Game #38)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (21-13-3) are in Nashville to take on the Predators (16-16-3) Saturday night, their last game before the team gets a week break over the Christmas holiday. The match is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and CBC.

This is the second and final meeting between the Habs and Preds this season. Rookie defenseman Seth Jones scored the game winning goal for the Predators with less than 90 seconds remaining in regulation putting the Predators ahead 2-1. David Legwand had a pair of assists for Nashville.

What to Watch:

Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais have been the Habs' most consistent offensive producers during their recent offensive drought. Since being shutout by the Kings, the Habs have scored just 7 goals in their last 5 games. Pacioretty and Desharnais each have 4 points in that span with Patches picking up 3 goals.

As much as the Habs have struggled offensively, the Predators aren't faring much better. The Preds are 26th in scoring with just 80 goals scored in 35 games. Legwand, the team's top scorer, has 6 goals and 25 points on the year, including 5 points in the last 5 games.

What's at Stake:

The Lightning have caught back up to the Canadiens to take over third sport in the Eastern conference. The Habs and Lightning are both at 45 points on the season but the Bolts have two games in hand on Montreal. With a win in Nashville the Canadiens have a chance to effectively end the first half of the season on a high note after a disappointing stretch.

Who's Out:

The Habs are missing George Parros (concussion) and Davis Drewiske (shoulder).

The Predators are only dealing with one injury but, it's a doozy. Pekka Rinne (hip infection) has been out of action since late October and there is no set timeline for his return.

 What Else:

Last season, scoring first was a major strength for the Habs, they struck first in 29 of 48 games last year. This season, Canadiens have opened the scoring in 19 of 37 games, slightly better than 50 percent. But December has been a different story altogether, in 10 games this month the Habs have only managed to score first in 3, and only once in their last 6, an overtime winner in their 1-0 victory of the Islanders.

The Question Mark:

Christmas is just around the corner and we want to know, what gift would you get the Habs this year and have they been naughty or nice in your books?

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

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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Habs/Preds Post-Game October 19th 2013

It's going to be hard to forget this one for the faithful, and for all the wrong reasons. While the Canadiens will come up short 2-1 in the books, nothing can do justice to the gaffe caused by the referees.

The Canadiens were on the receiving end of controversy Saturday night. Lars Eller seemed to have scored th go ahead goal midway through the third period but the call made by the official was reversed upon further review.To make matters worse, a statement was issued by the NHL. This statement failed to identify any rules that were followed and was only able to state that each official agreed the puck never crossed the line. This would not be as hard to swallow if the play was blown dead by an official who clearly indicated by pointing his arm towards the goal to indicate a goal had been scored!

While the "he said, he said" won't do much in this situation it is painful to think the NHL won't stand it's ground on its own guidelines.

The game itself was played as typically as one could expect of a matchup with the Predators. A high caliber defense combined with an exceptional goalie and a less than threatening attack. Most could have anticipated the game would finish with fewer than 4 goals crossing the goal line. 

Rinne and Price played outstanding. Neither permitted the puck to get by save for something exceptional as was the beautiful toe drag game winner by rookie sensation Seth Jones.

With 2 minutes left on the clock, the game tied at ones and seeming like the fans would need to stay a little longer. Montreal failed to clear the puck from their zone, most noticeably Travis Moen flailing his stick while lying on the ice, the puck found its way to the stick of Jones, who pulled off a slick toe drag to set up his own wrister that got by Price. Along with the goal was his 27 minute workload that was beaten only by long time captain and all-star Shea Weber, 28 minutes. 

It is very possible that the game could have gone out of hand much earlier had the Habs not been able to play such a stellar game short-handed, eventually finishing 5-6 on the PK. Most famously was the referee calling an "embezzlement" penalty against Subban. The Canadiens allowed one goal off of a shot by Weber, that hit 2 Canadiens on the way in. Price should not be faulted at all as it was a shot during the tail-end of an early 5-3 that bounced off of Prust and than Gorges before finding the net. 

Brandan Gallagher played his heart out tonight. For a player who does not boast the most size he certainly puts rubber on the net. He may not possess the greatest shot but any great scorer will tell you that the only way to score is to put the puck on net, he had a total of 9 SOG. His goal came as advertised, a scrum in front of the net found its way to the back of the net. 

The Canadiens should be commended on their ability to play while fighting off in game injuries. Danny Briere suffered a concussion, Brandon Prust took a fall into the end boards and left favoring his shoulder and Josh Gorges received a hit that delivered contact to both sides of his head. The injury list is starting to pile-up for the Canadiens in this short season and it will be a tough test to see how much they can fight the coming opponents in the Oilers, Sharks and Ducks. The farm in Hamilton will be getting a few calls and the fans will get an opportunity to see some of the Habs pipeline. 

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