Canadiens vs. Coyotes: Start time, Tale of the Tape, and how to watch
Montreal Canadiens vs. Arizona Coyotes
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Start time: 7:00 p.m. EDT / 4:00 p.m. PDT
In the region of Canadians: TSN2 (English)RDS (French)
In the Coyotes region: Bally Sports Arizona
Stream: ESPN+, RDS Direct, TSN Direct
After four games, most people would say the 2022-23 Montreal Canadiens will exceed expectations. A young defensive corps has largely withstood the strains of NHL attackers, Cole Caufield has already tripled his scoring since the first half of last season, and the goaltenders have been solid and occasionally spectacular. The team has not only been competitive, but has actually achieved hard-fought victories over favored opponents. Hell, with two wins already under their belt, the Habs shouldn’t rack up more points until November 3 if they want to match last year’s pace and aim for back-to-back lottery wins.
On Thursday evening, in a season full of new experiences, the Habs are once again breaking new ground.
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| Canadian | statistics | coyotes |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian | statistics | coyotes |
| 2-2-0 | recording | 1-2-0 |
| 43.8% (26th) | Goal Odds-for % | 29.9% (32nd) |
| 2.00 (31.) | goals per game | 3.00 (20.) |
| 2.75 (13th) | Goals conceded per game | 4.67 (30th) |
| 7.7% (29th) | PP% | 38.5% (3rd place) |
| 91.7% (8th) | PC% | 71.4% (23rd) |
| 0-2-0 | H2H record (21-22) | 2-0-0 |
The Arizona Coyotes are not a good hockey team. “The worst team ever built in modern hockey” (courtesy of Steve Dangle) might be a bit of an exaggeration, but only a bit. It is widely predicted that the Coyotes will come last by some margin in the NHL. They failed to win a game like the Habs did last season. Unlike the Habs, they also lost their season opener as well as the next game after it, giving up six goals in both games.
Of course, they would defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs at home and come to Montreal victorious.
Still, they’re second-bottom in their division with two points in three games, spared only by a historic meltdown at the Minnesota Wild’s net. In terms of squad, the forward contingent includes some notable names: Clayton Keller, Christian Fischer, Lawson Crouse, Nick Bjugstad, Zack Kassian and Nick Ritchie. Alongside them are skate players in unexpected situations, like top winger and seven-season AHL veteran Liam O’Brien and 29-year-old journeyman second-line center Travis Boyd. Star prospects Dylan Guenther (ninth overall, 2021) and Barrett Hayton (fifth overall, 2018) cap this well-mixed sundae.
On the blue line, the top pairing consists of JJ Moser (60th overall, 2021) sophomore and Troy Stecher, who was taken on as a free agent off-season. Shayne Gostisbehere forms an offensive duo with journeyman Josh Brown. Finally, the third pairing consists of Dysin Mayo (133rd overall, 2014) and the waiver pickup Juuso Välimäki. Jakub Chychrun, the subject of many trade rumours, will do it make the trip to Montreal but will not fit for the game.
26-year-old Karel Vejmelka started all three games, posting an .894 save percentage and a 4.35 goals conceded average. The backup is Connor Ingram, whose only NHL experience was three playoff losses to the Colorado Avalanche last year after Juuse Saros was injured in Game 1.
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If there’s one place Arizona can dish out damage, it’s on the power play. In three games, only four Coyotes have registered a point in five-for-five. Still, the team has scored nine goals in total, underscoring just how well special teams can add value to an otherwise mediocre club. Surprisingly, the top scorer for the Arizona contingent so far has been Ritchie (three hits from five shots). He, Keller, Gostisbehere, Moser and Boyd are the reason the team’s power play is booming at 38.5% power. They are up against a Canadiens penalty which has allowed just one goal while taking on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin and Auston Matthews.
The question isn’t whether the Canadians can win this game or not. This answer is definitely yes. Heck, it’s not hard to say that the Canadiens should win this game. However, the Canadians have had a frustratingly noticeable tendency to downplay their opponents in recent years – and they haven’t had the top-end ability to salvage 55 minutes of poor effort with five minutes of inspired play. A second solid performance from start to finish in a row would go a long way in showing that these Canadians plan to be different going forward – damn it, keeping up with last season.