The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had much luck against the Philadelphia Flyers this season, with two losses in the span of two weeks earlier in February. Perhaps their fortunes will turn with home-ice advantage in tonight’s game after getting just one point in the matches at the Wells Fargo Center.
The lineups that take to the ice could be very different from the ones that previously faced off against one another. The Canadiens will already be without the services of Tomas Plekanec, who will be taking the ice for the first time as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the same time the game at the Bell Centre begins.
There may be a new face or two wearing Habs red and Flyers orange when the game begins. It all depends on what transpires on what’s sure to be an eventful NHL trade deadline day.
How to watch
Puck drop: 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the USA: NBCSN
In the Flyers region: NBCSP
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL GameCentre Live, NHL Center Ice
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistic | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| 25-30-11 | Record | 32-25-7 |
| 1-1-0 | H2H Record | 1-1-0 |
| 51.0% | Corsi-for pct. | 49.1% |
| 171 | Goals for | 193 |
| 206 | Goals against | 204 |
| 20.2% | PP% | 19.4% |
| 76.5% | PK% | 79.3% |
The Canadiens did get the game to overtime when the teams met just last week. Plekanec had set up the go-ahead goal by Paul Byron midway through the third only to see Jakub Voracek tie it up with just over a minute remaining. The Czech winger followed that up with the overtime-winner, capping off a three-point game.
Voracek has since added another assist to bring his season total to 69 points, one of three Flyers to have at least 60 points on the season. He’s five back of a rejuventaed Claude Giroux for the team lead.
The contributions haven’t just been coming from the forwards. Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov have each hit double digits in goals, with Gostisbehere adding another 40 assists to sit at 50 points. He is third in the league among defencemen in scoring, ranking among some of the biggest names in the NHL, and behind only John Klingberg and Brent Burns.
The Canadiens have a young defencemen who’s been impressing, as well, though not in an offensive capacity just yet. Despite only playing two games, Noah Juulsen has looked like he belongs in the NHL, answering any questions that arose about his ability to play in league after a debut versus a gutted New York Rangers squad with a very impressive showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Juulsen had over 21 minutes of ice time in the game, second only to Jeff Petry, and was engaged in all three zones. His transition to the NHL has been very smooth, especially when considering he’s still getting used to the speed and skill of the world’s top league. The rookie has been unfazed by the challenge, and in fact has seemed to thrive in the situation. He’s giving fans something to look forward to as the team simply plays out the rest of the season, offering a glimpse at what could be in store in 2018-19.
