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Pregame: Canadiens vs Flyers |
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The Canadiens may be out of the playoffs race, but they still have a part to play in it. Over the remaining three weeks of the season, they’ll be taking on several teams involved in the race. While some fans would like to see the Habs lose in the hope of improving their odds in the draft lottery, the organization wants to see how good they can be against better teams.
Montreal and Philadelphia have faced each other once so far this season, a game the Flyers won 3-2 in the shootout. Two duels are remaining this season, tonight’s match and another one on April 9th. No word yet on who will be in net tonight, Cayden Primeau played back in January and was stellar in the loss with a save percentage of .949. He’s faced the Flyers three times in his career, and he has a 1-1-1 record with a 1.91 GAA and a .942 SP. Meanwhile, Montembeault has faced them twice and has a 3.54 GAA and a .878 SP.
Juraj Slafkovsky will try to keep his point streak alive and get a point in the ninth game in a row, which would be a personal best for him. It’s also his last chance to improve on his record of most points in a season by a teenager with the Canadiens since his birthday is Saturday and he’ll turn 20. Right now, Slafkovsky has got 40 points on the season and the way he’s been playing lately gives Canadiens’ fans plenty of reason to believe the young Slovak will be a great player for their team in the years to come. On the Flyers' side, former Hab Ryan Poehling has got a three-game point streak going.
Each team had won five of the last 10 games between the two teams, but Philadelphia has won the last two. The Flyers come to town with a 4-4-2 record in their last 10 games, an identical record to the Habs’ for the same period. Philadelphia lost its last game 6-5 in overtime against the Rangers after losing an early 2-0 lead in the first frame. As for the Canadiens, they’ll try to make it three wins in a row.