Montreal Canadiens @ Carolina Hurricanes
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Hurricanes region: Fox Sports Carolinas
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/Rogers NHL Live
The Canadiens will get a much-welcomed return as Shea Weber will make his season debut for the team against the team that generates the most shots per game in the National Hockey League.
Weber, who was named the team’s captain prior to the start of the season, has not played a game since December 16, when the Canadiens lost 3-0 outdoors in Ottawa. He was battling a foot injury at the time, and the team then discovered a knee injury which set him back. His recovery was supposed to take until December, but he will play in the team’s final game of November.
The captain’s return comes at a good time. The Canadiens have lost four straight games after their Western Canada road trip, all against Eastern Conference rivals.
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistic | Hurricanes |
|---|---|---|
| 11-8-5 | Record | 11-9-3 |
| 0-3-0 | H2H Record (17-18) | 3-0-0 |
| 52.2% (6th) | Corsi-for pct. | 58.5 (1st) |
| 74 (12th) | Goals for | 62 (27th) |
| 81 (27th) | Goals against | 65 (9th) |
| 14.9% (30th) | PP% | 17.9% (20th) |
| 79.0% (17th) | PK% | 75.4% (25th) |
| W-OTL-L-OTL-L | Form | L-W-W-W-L |
The two teams are among the many teams battling for Wild Card spots. The Canadiens currently hold the second playoff spot, but are only two points ahead of Carolina. The Hurricanes are also just a point back of the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan division.
As for the Hurricanes, they lead the league in Corsi, shots-per-game (at 39.9), and post-game celebrations that anger hockey people. They have a great offence, even though they haven’t translated those shots haven’t translated very well into goals.
They come into Montreal relatively healthy, missing only defenders Haydn Fleury (the brother of Canadiens prospect Cale) and Brett Pesce. For the Canadiens, they have Weber returning and made room for him by placing Karl Alzner on waivers.
Charles Hudon skated with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Artturi Lehkonen at practice on Monday, as Kenny Agostino was with Nicolas Deslauriers and Michael Chaput, likely meaning Matthew Peca will sit out another game.
On defence, it appears that Mikey Reilly and Xavier Ouellet will sit out, as Brett Kulak skated with Jeff Petry on Monday.
Sebastian Aho leads the way for the Hurricanes, as his seven goals and 18 assists give him 25 points in 23 games this season. Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Williams, Jordan Staal, and second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov are also contributing on offence. They have also gotten surprising scoring from Micheal Ferland, who has 11 goals this season.
Their defence is led by Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, and Justin Faulk, which is a formidable top three on the back end. In goal, they have a three-headed monster. Curtis McElhinney leads the way with a 6-2-0 record, 2.25 goals against average, and .919 save percentage, and could get the start for Carolina.
The Hurricanes also have Petr Mrazek (3-3-2, 2.75, .880) and Scott Darling (2-4-1, 3.14, .892) on the active roster.
Carolina lost their last game against the New York Islanders, Saturday in New York. They won their three previous games, however, beating the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers.
For Montreal, Carey Price will get the start for the Canadiens, who have a light week coming up as Tuesday’s game is their only game until back to back games on Saturday and Sunday.
