The Habs Look To Put An End To 5-Game Skid vs. Struggling Maple Leafs

The Habs have lost Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Kaiden Guhle, all to long-term injuries in the last 10 days (Guhle was already out, but his recovery time doubled after he got surgery), which has certainly posed some challenges to the middle of the lineup for the Canadiens. However, it is extremely likely that Captain Nick Suzuki played banged up with a foot injury.

Jake Evans is also probably not 100% after the high hit that Washington Capitals’ Tom Wilson threw on him Thursday night. Nonetheless, it seems like Evans will be good to go against the Leafs, as there was a new line at practice on Saturday morning, featuring Evans alongside Josh Anderson and newly called-up Florian Xhekaj. If anyone tries to do anything to Evans, his two linemates should surely make them pay with some sort of retribution.

Xhekaj will be taking Joshua Roy’s spot in the lineup tonight and making his NHL debut, after the latter has failed to make any impact since being called up to the Habs last Sunday. Florian will be looking to set the tone for tonight’s game by throwing hits and being a physical presence to show that he’s ready for the NHL. Tonight’s game will be a huge one for the Xhekaj family, as both brothers will play their first official NHL game together against the Habs’ biggest rivals.

As bad as recent injuries have been for the Canadiens, things are looking worse for the Maple Leafs, who will likely be without the services of their stars, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, for tonight’s game with lower-body injuries. They will also be missing defensemen Chris Tanev (out long-term with an upper-body injury) and Brandon Carlo, who will be out for the next few games with a lower-body injury. Finally, both starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz and forward Nic Roy are also put for the Leafs. Therefore, as bad as injury luck has been for the Habs, it could be a lot worse, as the Leafs have many key pieces out of their lineup, with two top liners, two top four defensemen, and their starting goaltender likely not dressing tonight.

Given the Leafs’ injury situation, it may be the perfect night for the Canadiens to end their 5-game losing skid, but with how bad they’ve been playing lately, it’s possible that they play down to their opponents, especially with how bad the goaltending for the Canadiens has been during this losing streak. The Habs have an abysmal .795 save percentage in the last 5 games, which has really hurt the team’s chances of winning games. There have been many games lately that, despite the Habs’ skaters outplaying their opponents, the goaltending has let them down. The fact that both Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes have been awful lately makes it really hard to predict the result of any Habs game lately. Can the Habs finally get some average NHL goaltending tonight?

Head coach Martin St. Louis announced earlier today that Jakub Dobes will get the start against the Maple Leafs tonight. While he has been struggling as of late, he has still been the better of the two goaltenders this season. A game against the Habs’ biggest rivals could be exactly what he needs to bounce back in goal. Last season, Dobes made 34 saves on 35 shots in a 1-0 OT loss against the Maple Leafs. Whereas Montembeault was the starter in the season opener, where the Canadiens lost 5-2, therefore recent numbers against the Leafs show that Dobes is the right choice for tonight.

The Maple Leafs will be going with Joseph Woll, who has gone 1-1-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .923 save percentage this year since returning from injury. The goaltending clearly favours the Leafs tonight, but anything can happen, especially when the rosters likely favour the Habs tonight.

With that being said, considering the Habs’ goaltending struggles and the Leafs’ injury struggles, the over 6.5 goals is looking like a good bet, especially since 11 of the Canadiens’ last 12 matchups have had the over hit. The Canadiens are listed as -140 home favourites to get a win and end their 5-game losing streak. However, it should be noted that the Habs are just 1-5-1 against teams that made the playoffs last year. For player prop bettors, a Cole Caufield goal may be a good bet for tonight, as he has scored 6 goals in his last 10 games against the Maple Leafs. His odds to score tonight are set at +155.

Despite the struggles of both teams, we should see a great game tonight, as they often both play up on Saturday night matchups against each other.

What are your predictions for tonight’s game?