The Montreal Canadiens opened March in outstanding fashion, building on some late-February wins to extend a win streak all the way to six games. On Thursday night, the Calgary Flames saw fit to end it.
Reeling from a punishing loss, the Habs now look elsewhere in Alberta to try and get back on the right foot as they travel into Edmonton to take on the much-improved Oilers.
It’s the end of the Western Canadian road trip for the Habs, who will return home to the Bell Centre on Tuesday night. With a win and a loss thus far, a win against Edmonton would make the trip a success – though the Oilers may just be the stiffest competition of the bunch.
How to watch
Puck drop: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Spostsnet (English), RDS (French)
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL Gamecenter Live, NHL Center Ice
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistic | Oilers |
|---|---|---|
| 38-22-8 | Record | 35-23-9 |
| 7-3-0 | L10 Record | 5-4-1 |
| 52.32 | Score-Adjusted Corsi % | 50.65 |
| 185 | Goals For | 190 |
| 171 | Goals Against | 177 |
| 1.16 | 5v5 Goal Ratio | 1.09 |
| 20.5 | PP% | 21.4 |
| 80.3 | PK% | 79.5 |
For the first time in a long time, it looks as though the Oilers will be making an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sitting third in the Pacific with a month to go in the season, Edmonton is set to qualify for the post-season for the first time since 2006.
That is, of course, largely thanks to the play of Connor McDavid. The 2015 1st-overall pick has wasted little time establishing himself as one of the absolute elite players in the National Hockey League, and is currently on pace to walk away with the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s scoring leader.
After the Habs’ defensive performance – or lack thereof – in Calgary on Thursday, McDavid may give Montreal’s blue-line a fit this evening. He won’t be operating alone, however, as the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Jordan Eberle play supporting roles.
Interestingly, tonight’s game will see the Habs line-up against a familiar face: David Desharnais. The long-time Canadiens pivot has two points in three games since joining his new club, and scored his first goal as an Oiler on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That also means Brandon Davidson will face his former club for the first time, should he remain in the Habs’ line-up tonight.
These teams have already met once this season in a low-scoring affair back in February. It was the Oilers claiming victory at the Bell Centre on that night, with the game’s lone goal coming in a shootout. Tonight the Habs look to avenge that loss, and put Thursday’s mishap behind them.
