The Canadiens (4-7-1) look to extend their win streak to 3 tonight at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota tonight as they take on the Minnesota Wild (4-4-2) at 8 pm, EST.
Montreal are winners of 3 of their last 4 games and have found their scoring touch in those 3 wins, outscoring their opponents 18-8. Last game the Canadiens put on a clinic against the Pesky Sens while handing them a 8-3 loss. Charles Hudon (2G, 1A), Artturi Lehkonen (2G), and Shea Weber (3A) paced the Habs in their victory and hope to keep up the contributions tonight.
"I’ve always had a lot of faith in our ability to score goals, because I see it in practice." -@CP0031
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 1, 2017
WATCH âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/TRvSwh7q2g #GoHabsGo
Coach Julien confirmed that Andrew Shaw has recovered from his bout with the flu and the line up will remain the same as it was against the Senators. However, Al Montoya will return to his back up role on the bench in favour of struggling All Star, Carey Price (3-6-1, 3.64 GAA, .883 SP%).
Claude Julien n’apportera aucun changement à sa formation, à l’exception de Price devant le filet.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 2, 2017
No lineup changes tonight, confirms head coach Claude Julien. @CP0031 starts in goal. #GoHabsGo
The lines will look like this, for those that don't recall what they were against Ottawa:
Lehkonen - Drouin - Byron Pacioretty - Danault - Shaw Hudon - Plekanec - Gallagher Galchenyuk - McCarron - Mitchell
Mete - Weber Alzner - Benn Davidson - Petry Morrow
Price Montoya
The Canadiens will look to control a dangerous offensive attack led by Wild players Markus Granlund, Mikko Koivu, Nino Niederreiter, and Eric Staal. While the Wild have endured their own shares of struggles this season, it would be foolish to take them for granted. They are a well built, well coached team that is waiting to break out.
The Wild are dealing with a fair share of injuries to some core players in Zach Parise (back surgery) and Charlie Coyle (broken leg) so it's possible the Habs could exploit their loss of depth tonight. But don't underestimate the Wild's depth either. The injuries may open up some ice for top prospect Joel Eriksson Ek, a media favourite contender for the Calder prior to the season. He has a modest 1G, and 2 A in 10 games while only getting around 11 mins the last 3 games, but he has the potential to surprise. Keep an eye on him tonight.
The 2017 Military hat is now available. Get yours today in support of the brave people that serve our country!🇨🇦
— Tricolore Sports (@TricoloreSports) November 1, 2017
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Starting in goal for the Wild will be 31 year old former Hab, Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk has been a star the last two season but this one has him struggling to be competitive. He comes into tonight sporting a 3-3-1 record with a 3.04 GAA and .905 SP%. If the Canadiens can keep up their aggressive forecheck and shooting style they may be able to capitalize on a struggling Dubnyk.
MOVEMBER IS BACK
November is #HockeyFightsCancer month across the @NHL. It's a cause that hits close to home for @bdavy3. READ-> https://t.co/cg3XJnjF3d.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 1, 2017
Movember fundraising has a different meaning for Canadiens defenseman Brandon Davidson. Information from the above linked article states that in 2012 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Quick discovery and subsequent treatment helped him defeat the disease. The following quote from Davidson is from the Montreal Canadiens official website:
"They took the tumor out immediately. Then I did radiation treatments and 30 days after the surgery, I started chemotherapy. I did two rounds in a month. I knew right away the cancer was curable and that I was going to get through it," recounted Davidson. "There were some tough days at the start, tougher than most, but after the chemotherapy was over I started to feel better."
Hearing you or a loved one has cancer is devastating as most of us relate it to inevitable death. With regular check ups, quick discovery and treatment it is very possible to overcome the disease so let's all make sure we get checked out sooner rather than later when noticing something in ourselves that doesn't seem right. You can donate to Davidson's Movember fundraiser from the Tweet link below.
Donate to my hairy #Movember efforts and fight for men’s health: https://t.co/3SqK5X98sM @MovemberCA @CanadiensMTL @CHCFoundation
— Brandon Davidson (@bdavy3) November 2, 2017
COLLECT THE BEST! COLLECT UPPER DECK!
Don't forget to check out Upper Deck products at your local hobby shops and online! Preorders for UD Series 1 and 2 are already happening so if you’re a big collector, or a new one, make sure you stop by your local shop and see if you can get yourself a box (or case). The Young Guns rookie set are one of the most collected rookie sets all year and the Exclusives (#’d to 100) and High Gloss (#’ to 10) are always worth good money on the secondary market (depending on the rookie of course). You can find Auto’s, jersey, and patch cards in these boxes as well! Check it out!
2017-18 Upper Deck Series One Hockey preview! Always sought after and always reasonably priced! @UpperDeckHockey https://t.co/enjde3uf1j
— Brandon Smillie (@BrandonSmillie) October 30, 2017
Follow me on Twitter @BrandonSmillie where I mostly stick to hockey stuff.
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