The Jackets picked up a win Saturday night in Detroit to end their four game skid, but their goal scoring problem persisted. They have scored exactly one goal in regulation in their last three games, and things are not getting easier with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens started off the season slowly but have picked it up of late. They are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and as expected goaltending has been a big reason for their success. Unexpectedly the strong goaltending performances have not come from Carey Price but from the rookie Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren has made four consecutive starts for Montreal, the only four games he's played this season, and he's been nothing short of spectacular. Montreal has gone 3-1 in those games and Lindgren has stopped 133 of 138 shots for a .964 save percentage.
Montreal, much like the Jackets are a very strong possession team. Montreal ranks third in the NHL with a 53.34% Corsi, per Natural Stat Trick. The Jackets are right behind them in fourth with a 52.98% mark. This is going to be a real test for the Jackets, as they have struggled when taking on another top possession team. The Jackets have five games this season where they have a 5 on 5 Corsi under 50%. Four of those games came against teams that currently have a top 10 Corsi, including two clunkers against Carolina, the top Corsi team in the league.
Montreal does not have the same type of team that Carolina does, Carolina has very strong defence group and it gave the Jackets fits. As a group they did an incredible job of clogging up the neutral zone and not allowing the Jackets to get by them with speed. This took away one of the Jackets biggest strengths which is having their defencmen, notably Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, carry the puck up ice and create opportunities. Montreal doesn’t have that same mobility on the back end so this could be an area where the Jackets can take advantage.
The Jackets forwards are going to have to be on high alert tonight and make sure they are covering the points. Montreal has a lot of speed up front and they like to make stretch passes from their own end to send their wingers on breakaways. The Jackets need to keep the play in front of them.
This was already going to be a tough matchup and things got even tougher with the announcement that Alexander Wennberg would not be making the trip to Montreal. He suffered an upper-body injury and is day to day. Wennberg has been unspectacular to start the season. He has one goal and eight assists in 18 games which is fine, but underwhelming considering he is the top line centre. You have to wonder if this injury has been bothering him for a while. He has gone pointless in six games in November.
Down another centre, the Jackets made a roster move yesterday. They placed Zac Dalpe on the injured reserve and recalled Jordan Schroeder from Cleveland. Schroeder should be making his Blue Jackets debut tonight. He’s played nine games with the Monsters and had two goals and three assists. He adds some depth at centre to a team that sorely needs it.
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