The Montreal Canadiens are facing a make-or-break situation in their quest to secure a playoff spot. Despite having three chances so far, they have fallen short each time. On Wednesday night, the Habs will face the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre, with a single point being all that stands between them and elimination.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has confirmed that he won’t be dressing all his regulars for the first game of a back-to-back, which could make things easier for Montreal. However, the Habs have struggled to win at home against the Canes recently, losing 4-1 in their last matchup.
Carolina’s strong form has given them an edge over the Habs, with the Hurricanes winning nine of their last ten games against each other. The Canadiens’ captain, Nick Suzuki, struggles particularly against the Canes, having a minus-17 record and just four points in 14 games.
In goal, Samuel Montembeault is likely to be in net for Montreal, despite having a tough record against the Hurricanes (1-6-1). However, teammate Jakub Dobes has never played them. The Hurricanes’ goalkeeper, Pyotr Kochetkov, has had success against the Habs once, pitching a perfect game.
Up front, Patrik Laine is the Canadiens’ top scorer against the Canes with 22 points in 25 games. He will be looking to bounce back from a tough game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Brendan Gallagher is second with 15 points in 30 games, while David Savard completes the top three with 11 points in 46 games.
For Carolina, Sebastian Aho leads the team with 24 points in 22 games, followed by Jordan Staal and Taylor Hall. The Hurricanes’ coach will need to decide how to deploy Ivan Demidov, who impacted the game positively on Monday night and created chances for his team.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/canadiens-last-chance-saloon-105228046.html