Game 73: Montreal Canadiens @ Carolina Hurricanes
Start time: **5:00 PM EDT / 2:00 PM PDT**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Hurricanes region: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
Ivan Demidov had the best performance of his NHL career to date last night, a force in all three zone as he quickly turned possessions for the Nashville Predators into scoring chances for the Canadiens. The result was the 14th multi-point game of his rookie season (and 15th of his career after contributing two points in his first period as an NHLer last season), and second in his last three games.
The previous performance of a goal and an assist came on Tuesday versus the Carolina Hurricanes. He also had two assists in the first game of the season series on New Year’s Day, so this is a matchup he has enjoyed in his brief time with Montreal.
Having two lines working will be critical to claiming a second win over Carolina in a week. The Hurricanes won’t be happy about the regulation loss they were dealt, and proved just a couple of days ago that they can turn things up a notch when they want to take control of a game, scoring five consecutive goals on the New Jersey Devils to turn a 1-0 deficit at the midpoint of the game into a lopsided win.
The Habs are slowly seeing improvements in their defensive game, and they will be challenged to begin this match better than they did on Tuesday when they allowed 16 shots on Jakub Dobeš. Being as engaged as they were from the opening puck drop last night will be important versus what is likely going to be a determined opponent eager for revenge.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #13 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #15 Alex Newhook | #91 Oliver Kapanen | #93 Ivan Demidov |
| #76 Zachary Bolduc | #24 Phillip Danault | #71 Jake Evans |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj | #90 Joe Veleno | #11 Brendan Gallagher |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #53 Noah Dobson |
| #47 Jayden Struble | #48 Lane Hutson |
| #21 Kaiden Guhle | #45 Alexandre Carrier |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #75 Jakub Dobeš | #32 Jacob Fowler |
Injured: Kirby Dach, Alexandre Texier
Ill: Josh Anderson
Scratched: Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeault
Carolina Hurricanes projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Andrei Svechnikov | Sebastian Aho | Seth Jarvis |
| Taylor Hall | Logan Stankoven | Jackson Blake |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | Jordan Staal | Jordan Martinook |
| William Carrier | Mark Jankowski | Eric Robinson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Jaccob Slavin | Jalen Chatfield |
| K’Andre Miller | Sean Walker |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | Alexander Nikishin |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| Frederik Andersen | Brandon Bussi |
