A four-game home stand begins tonight at the Bell Centre as the Montreal Canadiens host the western conference powerhouse Dallas Stars. Winners of their last two, the Stars are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for first overall in their conference and will look to secure relatively easy points against a team that hasn’t been able to string together wins in quite some time.
The Alex Galchneyuk experiment at center will continue, as that’s proven to be an excellent decision by head coach Michel Therrien. Most will argue that it’s about time he got a fair chance on the first line and with more ice-time, and he’s proving to be the most electrifying player on this team next to P.K. Subban. With 4 goals in his last 4 games, he’ll look to continue on his hot streak. He’s posted 21 goals so far this year, a career-high, and can reach 30 if his injury isn’t a serious or nagging one.
Brendan Gallagher will miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury, while Morgan Ellis did very little to prove himself in the few games he played to earn himself a permanent spot in the lineup. He was sent back to the St. John’s Ice Caps where he’ll look to improve his consistency and receive a call-up from the Habs’ organization in the near future.
While the team managed to secure only one point during their four-game road trip last week, there were positives to take away from their performances. The future looks bright as Galchenyuk is on a tear while Michael McCarron demonstrates why he was drafted in the first round in 2013. His hockey sense is supreme and he has a nose for the net, often getting to the slot to bother the goalie and defensemen in order to offer space and time for his linemates to create passing plays and take quality shots. While the results haven’t exactly shown on the score sheet- he has a single assist thus far- you’d have to think that playing alongside Phillip Danault tonight at the Bell Centre will give them both an added motivator to score in front of the home crowd.
Moreover, Stefan Matteau is looking forward to playing for his childhood team in front of friends and family tonight. The 22-year-old will look to make an impression on the Habs’ organization as the former first-round pick hasn’t quite found his groove or unleashed his potential while playing for New Jersey. Marc Bergevin took a gamble on a player with much upside, though he could fill in nicely on a third line with Danault and McCarron while providing the occasional goal and assist.
One thing’s for certain: all three of the newcomers have their spot on this roster, at least in the near-future. It’ll be up to them to continue working as hard as they do and the results will come. They’ve made very good impressions and taking on the Dallas Stars tonight will prove to be yet another big test for them, especially with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin having scored 32 goals each this far.
In a surprising move, Ben Scrivens will get the start as the Habs will seek to entertain their faithful over the course of the next 4 games.