Harvey-Pinard Promoted, Last Reverse Retro
The Montreal Canadiens (20-27-4) are returning from their All-Star hiatus to host the New York Islanders (23-23-3) at Bell Center on Saturday afternoon. The puck drop is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET.
It’s Superbowl weekend and you know what that means! The annual back-to-back matinee games at the Bell Center just as the Montreal Canadiens return from their ten-day hiatus after All-Star Weekend and the week bye that followed.
The Canadians’ return game against the Islanders will be the last time they will contest their team this season Reverse retro jerseys. The Canadians have lost every game they’ve played in the powder blue shirts; a trend that has earned the jerseys the nickname “tank tops” as it has helped Canadians sink lower in the standings after each passing play.
Perhaps in their final appearance of the season, the Canadians could change the narrative.
Now for some good news.
The Canadians will finally see some bodies coming out of the injury ward Jonathan Drouin expected to play this afternoon. Drouin has been out since January 17 with an upper body injury and was spotted on the fourth row in training alongside Micheal Pezzetta and Alex Belzile.
Should Drouin be ready to play, it likely means the Canadiens will field a traditional 12-forward, six-defender lineup; That means Chris Wideman, who completed an overtime in practice, is likely to be left out for tonight’s game.
The Canadians will also give the nod Samuel Montembaultthe winner of the Molson Cup for the month of January.
The 26-year-old keeper has been outstanding for the Canadians over the past month in relieving the injured Jake Allen and keeping the Canadians in games where they were overtaken and overplayed.
So far this season, Montembeault has recorded a .909 save rate and a 3.19 goal average; although he had very little help from his teammates on most of these outings.
Racing down the Ilse
The New York Islanders roll into Montreal with some extra momentum, largely due to Top Center’s acquisition and contract extension. Bo Horvat.
The Islanders were close to being eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race after a very strong start to the season and Horvat’s arrival has given them just that.
Forming instant chemistry at the helm with Mat Barzal, the Islanders’ newest addition wasted no time getting to work.
Horvat has scored two goals and one assist in three games with the Islanders so far and has been a powerful force for them at both ends of the ice.
The biggest test for the Canadians will be Islanders goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin, who is set to have another stellar season this year.
Sorokin, the backbone of his team, has posted some Vezina-caliber numbers so far this year; with a sparkling save ratio of .923 and a goals-versus-average of 2.41.
Sorokin is the main reason the Islanders remain in the playoff hunt for the moment, as his standout play has held New York in nearly every game this season; They just didn’t come up with the offense to support him.
Now that every game is a must for the islanders, you can assume they are ready for this game. They want to compete with the Buffalo Sabers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers for the last two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.
Montreal Canadiens injuries
- Kaiden Guhle (Injured Reserve)
- Joel Edmundson (Everyday Life)
- Brendan Gallagher (Injured Reserve)
- Joel Armia (Injured Reserve)
- Jake Evans (Injured Reserve)
- Juraj Slafkovsky (Injured Reserve)
- Cole Caufield (Injured Reserve)
- Sean Monahan (LTIR)
- Carey Prize (LTIR)
- Paul Byron (LTIR)
Injuries to New York Islanders
- Oliver Wahlstrom (Injured Reserve)
- Cal Clutterbuck (Injured Reserve)
- Alexander Romanov (personal)
Previous lineup of the Montreal Canadiens
| Lw | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Anderson | Nick Suzuki | Rafaël Harvey-Pinard |
| Mike Hoffman | Kirby roof | Evgeni Dadonov |
| Rem Pitlick | Christian Dworak | Jesse Ylonen |
| Michael Pezzetta | Alex Belzile | Rafaël Harvey-Pinard |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Arber Xhekaj | David Savard |
| Mike Matheson | Justin Baron |
| Jordan Harris | Johnathan Kovacevic |
| Chris Weitman |
| goalie |
|---|
| Jake Allen |
| Samuel Montembault |
Expected lineup of the New York Islanders
Bailey-Horvat-Barzal
Lee-Nelson-Palmieri
Parise-Pageau-Holmstrom
Martin Cizikas Carnival
defense:
Pelech-Pulock
Aho-Dobson
Romanov-Mayfield
Goalkeeper:
Varlamov
Sorokin
Special teams
| team | PP % | PC % |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 15.6% (31st) | 72.8% (30th) |
| New York Islanders | 16.1% (29th) | 82.4% (4th place) |
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