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Tonight’s game will be the first one between the Canadiens and the Islanders since GM Kent Hughes sacrificed Alexander Romanov at the NHL Entry Draft to obtain Kirby Dach from the Hawks. It was not a popular trade at the time, given how much the fans liked Romanov, his physical game and his energy. Since then though, Kirby Dach has shown himself to be very useful for the Habs and the new crop of young blue liners have helped the fans forget about the Tsar. His former teammates would do well to be aware of when he's on the ice as they'll now be on the receiving end of his devastating body checks.

#Isles Alexander Romanov faces his former team, the #Habs, for first time in his career:

"I play just for Isles, for my team, and for my partners. I don't think it's something special for me."

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) January 14, 2023

Just like Thursday, the Canadiens will be going with an 11 forward and 7 defensemen formation, the lines haven’t been formally announced but Pezzetta, Hoffman and Matheson stayed on the ice after the morning skate which indicates that the latter is not ready, and the formers will once again be healthy scratches. Matheson is, however, practicing in a regular jersey so he should be ready to return sooner rather than later. For the second game in a row, Samuel Montembeault will be in net and Cayden Primeau will be acting as back-up. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Allen could be ready for tomorrow, but Martin St-Louis couldn’t confirm it.

Unlike the Canadiens, the Islanders are right in the middle of the dog fight to get into the playoffs with the Penguins and Capitals who are currently holding the two wild card spots in the east. There’s no denying that New York needs every single point it can get and having lost their last 4 games, the Isles will be hoping to take advantage of the Canadiens’ fragile confidence to put an end to their losing streak.

The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM and there will be an homage to Mike Bossy prior to the puck drop. Tomorrow, the Habs will be taking on the other New York team at 17:00 in the afternoon, make a note of the time not to miss it.

Martin St-Louis s’adresse aux médias en vue du match de ce soir contre les Islanders au UBS Arena.

Martin St-Louis is addressing the media in New York ahead of tonight’s game against the Islanders.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/sBvFg0vYdi

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 14, 2023

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