The Habs Back In Action VS. The Decimated Panthers

The decimated roster goes beyond just injuries for the Panthers, as Matthew Tkachuk will not be in the lineup for them tonight, as his wife is expected to give birth to their first child today, meaning he is staying back with her in Florida. This will only help the Habs’ chances of winning tonight as well as the Panthers’ hopes of getting a better draft pick this season.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens will possibly be getting reinforcements back at forward tonight. Head coach Martin St. Louis announced that both Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier have been cleared to play tonight. Despite this, St. Louis has not announced if either will play tonight, just that they one or both could. He will not reveal his exact lineup until game time, as the Habs are in playoff mode. Follow the Canadiens’ social media pages for official lineup updates for tonight.

As for in goal, we should expect the Habs to go back to Jakub Dobes once again as he continues to be playing elite hockey in net and continues piling wins for the team as they battle for home ice advantage in the playoffs. He is currently on a 5-game winning streak where he has posted a 1.57 GAA and .955 save percentage in that span. Dobes also had a shutout in his first NHL game with the Habs last year against the Panthers and will look to carry that momentum into tonight’s game against a much weaker team than last season. Will Dobes continue to stay hot against the Panthers if he plays?

On the other hand, Fowler could get the start tonight since the Panthers are the weaker opponent between them and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who they play on Thursday. With that being said, it wouldn’t be surprising if Fowler gets the start against the team that he grew up nearby as a child. Fowler has played 6 games since being called up with a 4-2 record and a .907 save percentage with a 2.36 GAA during those matchups.

The Panthers will start Daniil Tarasov as their netminder tonight. Tarasov has struggled a lot in his last 5 games with a 1-3 record alongside a 4.35 GAA and an .874 save percentage as the Panthers continue to falter as a team. In his career against the Habs, Tarasov has a 0-1-1 record with an .897 save percentage and 2.72 GAA. Compared to his recent games, his stats vs. the Habs are good, but they still aren’t very good, and the Canadiens should be able to take advantage of a struggling netminder tonight. It could be the perfect game for the Habs to get Cole Caufield that 50th goal that is clearly on his mind, as it’s not a game where he will be forced to play a team’s top netminder, which will surely help.

Betting the over 6.5 goals in tonight’s game is seemingly looking like a good move for tonight considering how the Panthers have allowed 14 goals in their last 2 games as well as just Tarasov’s struggles. The Habs have won their last 7 meetings with the Florida Panthers and will be looking to keep their success going tonight. They are listed as massive -250 home favourites, with the Panthers just looking to get the best possible draft pick and not playing their best lineup to help their chances before competing again next year. The Canadiens are also 1.5-goal favourites.

Captain Nick Suzuki is currently on a 4-game point streak against the Panthers; here he has scored 5 goals and 8 points in that span. Suzuki also needs just 5 points in the final 5 games to reach the 100 point mark for the season. His line to score 1+ goals is at +185 odds, while 2+ points is listed at +140. Will Suzuki continue to light the lamp against the Panthers, or will they finally shut him down?

Tonight’s game seems like a gimme for a win, but if the Habs don’t take their opponent seriously, it is still possible to lose. Nonetheless, they have had a ton of success against the Panthers in recent years, and it should be a good game for Habs players to get closer to their milestones.

What are your predictions for tonight’s game between the Panthers and the Canadiens?