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Pregame: Montreal vs Ottawa |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Back in September when the Habs brass met the media, they didn’t dare talk about a possible playoff participation and they insisted that for them, the focal point this season would be progression. Just as they had done last season, but this year, they wanted to hold people accountable when mistakes were made. That’s how both Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron ended up in Laval. A whole season later, looking at Slafkovsky, Primeau, Caufield, and Suzuki, it’s easy to find some positives to a year in which there will be no playoffs for the third season in a row, but which allowed the players to develop further and ensured that when they get there, they’ll be ready.
Tonight, the Canadiens will take on an Ottawa side that has a one-point lead over them in the standings, but that should be much further along in its rebuild than Montreal. You have to go back to March 2022 to find the last match won by the Habs against the Senators and Ottawa has won the last eight duels played between the two teams. As Martin St.Louis said in yesterday’s media availability, he doesn’t recall having beaten them since he took charge of the team. Still, according to reports online, St.Louis was hired on February 9th, 2022, which means the coach has beaten them before, but very early on in his tenure.
We already know that Cayden Primeau will be in net tonight, the last time he took on the Sens, the Canadiens were beaten 6-2, but he is his chance for redemption. So far this season, Ottawa has won the two games played between the two side.
Interestingly enough, for all the noise and comments we hear about Tkachuk and Stuzle they both have 70 points while Montreal’s Nick Suzuki now has 76, leading both teams in scoring. Speaking of Suzuki, he can still get to 80 points on the season, four points needed in three games is not too much of a reach.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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