|
Pregame: Canadiens vs Kraken |
|
|
|
|
|
Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
The Kraken had a hard first season but the expansion side seems to have really hit its stride now. The Seattle outfit is currently 12th in the league and sits in 3rd place of the Pacific division 8 points behind division leaders Golden Knights but with 4 games in hand. Dave Hakstol’s men have got a 4-game winning streak going and they demolished the Ottawa Senators by a score of 8-4 on Saturday.
For a Canadiens’ team that is currently trying to play better and be more responsible defensively, the Kraken should be a good challenge, they are currently 7th in scoring league wide with 139 goals for. They may lack superstars but they’ve got a really well balanced offense lead by rookie Matty Beniers, Andrei Burakovsky and Jordan Eberle. One thing is for sure, Shane Wright won’t be able to score a 2nd goal against the Habs since the Kraken sent him back to his junior team the Kingston Frontenacs.
The Habs held a morning skate at the Bell Center this morning and they’ll only be a single change in the line-up, Mike Hoffman will be back and Anthony Richard will make way for him on the 4th line. Hopefully, the healthy scratch treatment will have done Hoffman some good, like it seems to have done for Joel Armia. In his pregame press availability, head coach Martin St-Louis said that he hopes to see Mike Hoffman bring his working boots tonight. He’s got a good game offensively, but like the rest of the team he has to commit to the team defense.
No changes on the blue line are expected and when asked about Justin Barron, St-Louis mentioned that the timing of his recall was less than ideal. The youngster was asked to play when the team was at its lowest, lacking both confidence and cohesion. It’s good of the coach to not want to throw the rookie under the bus, but Barron clearly needs some more time in the AHL to become a more efficient defenseman.
If you’ve got some time, I strongly recommend watching the first part of the Carey Price interview which was shown on La Poche Bleue’s podcast yesterday. The interview is in English since Price doesn’t speak French and the whole thing is translated with subtitles so both English and French speaking fans should enjoy this one. He covers his time in the WHL playing with the Tri-City Americans, who he expected to draft him in 2005, how his interview with the Habs at the combine was the hardest one and how he felt during the whole Price vs Halak chapter. There will also be a second part on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM.
Tonight’s game is set for 7:30 PM and St-Louis has confirmed that Samuel Montembeault will be in net. You can catch the game on RDS and Sportsnet.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»