Game 7 - Canadiens vs Red Wings

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

The Canadiens (5-1-0) host the Red Wings (3-1-1) at the Bell Centre Tuesday night for an Original Six match up. The game is set to start at 7:30 and is being shown on RDS, City - Montreal, and Fox Sports - Detroit.

This is the first of four meetings between the Habs and Wings this season. Last year the Canadiens went 2-1-1, winning the last two games. Jarred Tinordi played over 15 minutes in the Canadiens 5-3 win in their final game last year, picking up two assists in the process.

What to Watch

When he gets going the way he did Saturday night against the Avalanche, PK Subban can be hard to miss. PK lit the lamp twice Saturday bringing him up to three goals and four points on the season. He also picked up his seventh minor penalty of the season, putting him in a familiar position ahead of the league in that department, tied with Boston's Brad Marchand.

Red Wings fans needed to sit through 64 minutes and 50 seconds of goalless hockey Saturday night when the Wings hosted the Maple Leafs, but were treated to a Henrik Zetterberg one-timed game-winner off a beautiful feed from Niklas Kronwall for their troubles. It was Zetterberg's first goal of the season but he now has a team-best six points. Gustav Nyquist is also off to an impressive start to his season. After posting 28 goals and 48 points in 57 games last season, he already has four goals and five points in five games this year.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens are at the top of the standings and a win against the Red Wings will help them keep it that way. Detroit is off to a strong 3-1-1 start to the season so the Habs will also be doing themselves a favor by beating their division rivals.

Who's Out

The Canadiens are healthy heading in to Tuesday's game. Jarred Tinordi has played the last four games, the last two of which have come at the expense of Nathan Beaulieu. Dale Weise has also been a healthy scratch the last two games.

Johan Franzen (leg), Pavel Datsyuk (shoulder) and Jimmy Howard (groin) all missed Saturday's game against the Leafs, Datsyuk hasn't played yet this season, but all three could be in action on Tuesday. Howard is expected to start in Montreal, the two skaters are a bit more questionable to see action.

What Else

While the Canadiens have been slow out of the gates in their first six games, they've been pretty solid in the final two periods with seven second period and eight third period goals. And although they've allowed five and six goals against in the final two frames, if you discount Montreal's 7-1 loss to the Lightning, they've outscored their opponents 7-3 in the second and 8-3 in the third period.

The Question Mark

How would you like to see Michel Therrien use Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu 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 Tuesday to preview the Canadiens and Red Wings. Monica McAlister joins us in the second segment to fill us in on the Wings perspective.

Read More

Pregame Preview: Canadiens vs Red Wings (Game #60)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (32-21-6) kick off the post-Olympic race to the playoffs when they host the Red Wings (26-20-12) Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. The puck drops at 7:30 and the game airs on RDS and TSN.

This is just the second of four meetings between these Original Six rivals. The Red Wings earned a convincing 4-1 win over the Canadiens last month when these teams met in Detroit. Gustav Nyquist, Niklas Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg each picked up a goal and an assist in the victory.

What to Watch:

Carey Price and PK Subban returned home from Sochi with a pair of Gold Medals to their credit. Price was named the tournament's best goaltender, posting shutouts in his last 2 games to help Canada achieve victory. Price has earned himself the night off against the Wings, so fellow Olympian Pater Budaj will get the start on Wednesday.

After coaching Team Canada to Olympic Gold, Mike Babcock returns to the Red Wings bench to try to maintain his team's playoff positioning. The Wings have the second and final wild card spot right now, but Washington, Ottawa and Columbus are each just one point back. To make his task that much more difficult, the Wings are suffering through some major injuries. After suffering a back injury during the Olympics, Henrik Zetterberg could miss the rest of the season, he underwent surgery on Friday.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens return to action in the midst of a heated race for second place in the Atlantic division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. At 70 points, they're tied with the Maple Leafs for third spot, one point behind the Lightning. The Habs still have a game in hand on the Leafs, but they've played one more match than Tampa Bay.

Who's Out:

Alex Galchenyuk is expected to return to action Wednesday after recovering from a broken hand suffered in early January. Jarred Tinordi has been called up from Hamilton and could see action this week. Michael Bournival (concussion), Travis Moen (lower body) and Davis Drewiske (shoulder) are all out for the Habs.

The Wings are missing Henrik Zetterberg (back), Stephen Weiss (hernia), Jakub Kindl (knee) and Cody Emmerton (finger). Johan Franzen (concussion) and Pavel Datsyuk (knee) will both be game time decisions.

What Else:

After an extended break for many Canadiens the team has a grueling road ahead of them. The Habs will play 7 games over the next 11 nights and will play their final 23 games of the season in just 46 days. The Canadiens are not alone of course, as of Wednesday there are only 47 days left in the regular season. Just 7 teams have reached the 60 game mark so far. The Boston Bruins and St Louis Blues have the most games to make up between now and the end of the year, they each have 25 matches remaining.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you, how many points are you expecting the Habs to collect in their last 23 games?

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.

Read More

Habs/Isles post game, Palchak passes, Stewart hit on Kronwall, Jets, Rumours and more

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Canadiens - Islanders: Habs Come Out Flat, Isles Take Advantage in 4-3 Win
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/11/canadiens-islanders-habs-come-out-flat.html

Montreal Canadiens Erik Cole Clicking, while Canes Eric Staal is Slumping
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/11/montreal-canadiens-erik-cole-finally.html

Habs Press Release - Canadiens Mourn Loss of Eddy Palchak
http://www.habsaddict.com/2011/11/habs-press-release-canadiens-mourn-loss.html

Hockey Inside/Out - Long night on the Island
http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/long-night-on-the-island

About last night … with audio
http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/boone/about-last-night-with-audio

La 2e période a fait mal
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/330191.html

RDS - Gill n'affrontera pas les Rangers samedi
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/330228.html

Le dossier Chara-Pacioretty est clos
http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/330204.html

HabsWorld.net - HW 3 Stars: Close but no cigar
http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=2644


NHL News
TSN - MCKENZIE: SABRES' PEGULA SPEAKS OUT ON PENN STATE SCANDAL
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=380672

NABOKOV LEAVES GAME AGAINST CANADIENS WITH GROIN INJURY
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=380726

DREGER: HURRICANES LOOKING FOR AN OFFENSIVE BOOST UP FRONT
http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/darren_dreger/?id=380705

FRASER: THE TAKE ON CHRIS STEWART'S HIT ON NIKLAS KRONWALL
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=380677

THN.com - Proteau: Would the NHL return to Hartford?
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/43014-Proteau-Would-the-NHL-return-to-Hartford.html

Campbell: Jets' honeymoon in Winnipeg is over
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/43020-Campbell-Jets-honeymoon-in-Winnipeg-is-over.html

Kennedy: Advocating for frontier justice
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/42991-Kennedy-Advocating-for-frontier-justice.html

Spector's Hockey - Latest on the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes
http://spectorshockey.net/wordpress/2011/11/18/latest-on-the-blue-jackets-and-hurricanes/

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Read More