In his “Book of Five Rings“, master samurai Miyamoto Musashi elucidates that a the best swordsmen will fight with both hands, wielding in one hand a “short sword”, and the other a “long sword” so that the fighter may have fluidity of movement. This fluidity will allow for the fighter to adapt to his surroundings and not be a vulnerable target to his enemies.
The Montreal Canadiens are a fighter wielding one sword with both hands, waiting for their opponent to attack them. This fighting stances makes them one of the most vulnerable teams in the league despite being ranked near the top of the standings.
Troubling signs over the last week of hockey have turned to glaring alarm sirens after a 3-2 loss Sunday to the Arizona Coyotes. The Canadiens are ranked 24th in Corsi-For %, meaning 23 other teams are better at creating offensive events-for than the Habs, however, they rank 5th in shooting percentage which means they score on most of the chances they get. They are essentially the most thrifty team in the NHL, getting the most bang for their buck.
The Sabres are on a dismal run right now, having lost 14 games in a row. The record for most losses in a row is held by the Washington Capitals (1974-75) and San Jose Sharks (1992-93) at 17 games. With both Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges coming into Montreal tonight to face their former team, the Sabres will have some extra motivation to put a stop to their nearly-historical losing streak.
The teams hit the ice at 7:30 PM EST.
In Canada (English): Sportsnet East
In Canada (French): RDS
In the Sabres region: MSG-B
Elsewhere: NHL Center Ice or NHL Gamecenter Live
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Max Pacioretty | Tomas Plekanec | Dale Weise |
| Alex Galchenyuk | David Desharnais | Brendan Gallagher |
| Jacob de la Rose | Lars Eller | Jiri Sekac |
| Brandon Prust | Gabriel Dumont | Christian Thomas |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Andrei Markov | P.K. Subban |
| Nathan Bealieu | Sergei Gonchar |
| Alexei Emelin | Tom Gilbert |
| Goaltenders |
| Dustin Tokarski |
| Carey Price |
Scratched: Mike Weaver, Manny Malhotra,
Injuries: P.A. Parenteau (concussion),
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Chris Stewart | Zemgus Girgensons | Tyler Ennis |
| Matt Moulson | Torrey Mitchell | Brian Gionta |
| Cody Hodgson | Brian Flynn | Drew Stafford |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | Matt Ellis | Patrick Kaleta |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Josh Gorges | Tyler Myers |
| Nikita Zadorov | Rasmus Ristolainen |
| Mike Weber | Tyson Strachan |
| Goaltenders |
| Jhonas Enroth |
| Matt Hackett |
Scratched: Andrei Meszaros, Andre Benoit
Injuries: Michal Neuvirth (lower-body), Cody McCormick (blood clot), Marcus Foligno (hand)
Check out the enemy over at Die By The Blade.
