Update: it appears that Brandon Davidson is expected to be a healthy scratch tonight, and Alexei Emelin should get back in the lineup:

Davidson on the ice with the expected scratches. Plekanec and Radulov skating too. #Habs

— Marc Antoine Godin (@MAGodin) March 9, 2017

Alexei Emelin de retour face aux Flames https://t.co/LDjcJ0W3uO

— La Presse (@LP_LaPresse) March 9, 2017

The Montreal Canadiens are set to take on the Calgary Flames tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome as two of the NHL’s hottest teams go toe-to-toe at 9:00pm ET. The Habs are riding a six-game winning streak while the surging Flames have won seven in a row, and contrasting both of their performances over their recent stretches is an exercise that should help shine a light on tonight’s potential outcome.

Without delving into advanced statistics and analytics, I opted to put together a few important numbers along with their averages over the course of both teams’ last seven games played.

Please note: for the “goals for” and “goals against” categories, averages are rounded to the nearest hundredth while the penalty minutes and shots on goal categories are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Contrasted the #Flames and the #Habs last 7 games played: pic.twitter.com/EYkOnQJwJR

— Andrew Saadalla (@andrewsaadalla) March 9, 2017

Based on these numbers and their averages, it appears that the Canadiens are the favorites heading into tonight’s matchup. However, there are other important factors to consider as well.

For instance, the Flames have three five-minute major penalties for fighting while the Habs have none over the last seven games. The first name that pops into my mind is Andrew Shaw’s. Based on his outstanding play of late, he would be ill-advised to accept an invitation to fight tonight.

Moreover, the goaltenders have been essential in helping their respective teams embark on these hot streaks. Brian Elliott is 7-0-1 in his last eight games, while Carey Price is 6-1-0 in his last seven starts.

Tonight’s matchup should make for an exciting display of speed and skill as both clubs will aim to add to their recent winning ways. I expect a close game dictated by goaltending heroics, with special teams determining who comes out on top.

Lineup

The Habs will be without forwards Tomas Plekanec, Alexander Radulov, and Brian Flynn, which means that Michael McCarron should feature in the lineup alongside Steve Ott and Andreas Martinsen:

Tomas Plekanec and Brian Flynn won't be in lineup for #Habs vs. #Flames tomorrow. Alexander Radulov unlikely to play. #HabsIO

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 8, 2017

#Habs lines: Pacioretty-Danault-Gallagher; King-Galchenyuk-Lehkonen; Byron-Mitchell-Shaw; Martinsen-Ott-McCarron pic.twitter.com/Jcyz6qdKrh

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 8, 2017

Alexei Emelin is expected to be a healthy scratch for a second straight time, as Brandon Davidson will once again find himself next to Jeff Petry:

#Habs defence pairings: Markov-Weber; Davidson-Petry; Beaulieu-Benn; Emelin-Nesterov pic.twitter.com/zOtgpsID1s

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 8, 2017

In other news, the Canadiens have signed defenseman Simon Bourque to a three-year, entry-level contract earlier today. The Longueuil, Quebec native has 144 points in 245 regular season games with the Rimouski Oceanic, including 15 goals and 36 assists in 51 games played this season:

Canadiens agree to terms on a three-year contract with defenseman Simon Bourque. DETAILS -> https://t.co/8DBZzTMh8K pic.twitter.com/TbOtyt3Hmy

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 9, 2017

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