After rising to the challenge against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens will play another do-or-die game on Thursday night, this time on the road against the Detroit Red Wings. As things stand, the Wings have the second and last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 82 points.
The Bruins have the same number of points and games played, but hold the first tiebreaker with 27 regulation wins to Detroit’s 26. The hosts put an end to a three-game losing streak when they beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Monday. Todd McLellan’s men are 4-2-2 in their last 10 games, while the Canadiens are now 5-3-2.
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Neither coach has yet confirmed who will start in net, and the Canadiens will not hold a morning skate. Martin St-Louis will speak to the media at 11:45, when we should find out. Jakub Dobes was great in the last game, and it will be interesting to see if that earned him another tour of duty. The Czech netminder has only played one game against the Wings so far, which he won. He has a 1.00 GAA and a .968 save percentage. Meanwhile, Jacob Fowler has also played one game against Detroit, but he lost it and has a 3.18 GAA with a .870 SV%. As for Samuel Montembeault, who still seems to be on the sidelines, he has a 4-1-2 record, a 2.67 GAA, and a .914 SV%.
At the other end of the ice, John Gibson and Cam Talbot both have winning records against the visitors. The former has seen the lion’s share of the work this season and was in the net on Monday for the Wings’ win over the Flames. He’s 8-3-1 against the Habs with a 2.40 GAA and a .922 SV%. As for the latter, he’s 9-4-1 with a 1.60 GAA and a .939 SV%. Needless to say, whoever is in net, it won’t be an easy game for the Canadiens.
After the win over Boston and with Kirby Dach sidelined, it would be surprising to see Martin St-Louis make any changes. Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens’ top point producer against the Wings with 34 points in 39 games, including two points in as many games this season. Captain Nick Suzuki comes in second place with 18 points in just 21 games, while Phillip Danault also has 18 points in 27 games. Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky are currently running four-game point streaks, while Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson are both on three-game point streaks.
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James Van Riemsdyk leads the Wings in points against the Habs with 35 points in 50 games, followed by Patrick Kane, who has 25 points in just 29 games, and captain Dylan Larkin, who also has 25 points, but in 36 games. Unfortunately for the Wings, however, Larking is currently sidelined and won’t be ready to return for at least another week. It’s worth mentioning that Alex DeBrincat has 22 points in just 21 games, and the diminutive winger is currently on a four-game point streak.
Each team has won one of the two duels they’ve played so far this year, and they’ve split the last 10 games evenly, winning five each. The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on FDSNDET, TSN2, and RDS. TJ Luxmore and Kelly Sutherland are set to officiate, while Tyson Baker and CJ Murray will be the linemen.
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