Previewing the Canadiens vs. Oilers Matchup

Playing the other Alberta team tonight will bring a much bigger challenge for the Habs, as they are facing one of the most consistently potent offenses in the league. However, the start of the season has been rough for the Oilers, who currently rank 26th in goals for to start the year. This doesn’t mean to take them lightly, as any team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could explode offensively when given an opportunity. Therefore, the Habs will need to keep a close eye on the two Oiler superstars in tonight’s game.

 It was already confirmed yesterday, but Samuel Montembeault will be getting the start for the Canadiens tonight. If there is any game in which Montembeault can prove that he deserves to stay as the team’s #1 goaltender, it’s playing against two superstars in Edmonton. He will need a huge performance tonight after posting a .857 save percentage and 3.26 GAA in 4 starts this year, which includes an .818 save percentage over his last starts. He needs to figure it out tonight if he wants to give the Habs any chance of winning tonight. 

Meanwhile, Calvin Pickard will get the start for the Oilers tonight. Packard has a .865 save percentage in two starts this season, meaning it will be a battle between two struggling goaltenders tonight.

On top of Montembeault getting the start in nets over Jakub Dobes, the Habs will also reinsert Kirby Dach back into the lineup in place of Joshua Roy. He will form a line with Joe Veleno and Zack Bolduc tonight. This is good news as the Habs could use some fresh legs in action after last night’s game; however, they also need to be 100% sure that Dach is ready so he doesn’t even re-aggravate any injuries. Nonetheless, his hockey IQ will provide Bolduc with someone who can actually pass him the puck to create scoring chances.  

Bolduc is a great sniper, but he’s not a play driver, and as evidenced by last night’s game, Joshua Roy isn’t that guy either. Despite Dach being in and out of the lineup with injuries since joining the Canadiens, one clear thing is that he has good vision and can provide a nice offensive punch when healthy. Right now, the main issue is whether his hands and feet can keep up with his hockey brain. Eventually, Bolduc should be paired up with Ivan Demidov, but with the chemistry that Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen have with the Russian forward, it is hard to break that up right now.

For a 2nd night in a row, the Canadiens will be playing a struggling team and will need to take advantage of the momentum that they have from winning their last 2 games, as well as being one of the hottest teams in the league right now. To continue on their momentum, their goal has to be to find a way to shut down the Oilers’ top players. 

The Habs have been able to do it before, as last year the Canadiens won one of their meetings 3-0 behind a strong night by Montembeault last November. However, in Edmonton, the Habs lost 3-2 in OT, as Draisaitl starred in the game.

The odds for tonight’s game have the Canadiens listed as a +185 road underdog, which makes them the underdog for just the 2nd time this season. In terms of player props, Nick Suzuki has registered a point in 7 straight games, including an assist in 6 of those. He is listed at -120 to pick up an assist and +185 to put up 2+ points. 

Can Nick Suzuki continue his points streak against the Oilers tonight?