It was supposed to be a head-to-head between two franchise players traded for one another, but instead, the focus will be all on Shea Weber tonight with P.K. Subban sidelined with what every passing day appears to be a more serious injury.
It’s been 188 days since the trade that shook Montreal, and also changed the city of Nashville drastically. While Habs fans lamented the departure of P.K. Subban, Predators fans were letting go of a guy who had played 763 games with their franchise, 443 games of which he was team captain.
The Habs are in the midst of a lengthy, fragmented roadtrip, with their first home game not until next Monday. The Habs haven’t played on Bell Centre ice since December 22 (1-1-2).
The Predators have been struggling to stay afloat in a very competitive Central Division, and with 38 points in 36 games, find themselves two points out of a wildcard position, while a spot in the Division’s top-three seems to be distancing itself more and more, as the Predators are seven points back from the St. Louis Blues.
Max Pacioretty was struck with a Shea Weber shot in practice this morning and needed help leaving the ice. He will be a game-time decision. With 15 points in his last 13 games, this would be a huge loss to an already depleted Canadiens’ lineup.
How to Watch
Start time: 8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PST
In Canada: SNE (English), RDS (French)
Nashville Area: FS-TN
Everywhere Else/ Online Stream: NHL.tv/GameCentre Live, NHL Centre Ice
Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Max Pacioretty | Phillip Danault | Alexander Radulov |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Tomas Plekanec | Paul Byron |
| Sven Andrighetto | Torrey Mitchell | Brian Flynn |
| Daniel Carr | Michael McCarron | Chris Terry |
Defence
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Alexei Emelin | Shea Weber |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Jeff Petry |
| Mark Barberio | Zach Redmond |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Carey Price |
| Al Montoya |
Injured: Alex Galchenyuk (knee), David Desharnais (knee), Greg Pateryn (fractured ankle), Andrew Shaw (concussion), Andrei Markov (lower-body)
Scratched: Sven Andrighetto
Projected Nashville Predators Lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Parise | Eric Staal | Charlie Coyle |
| Jason Zucker | Mikko Koivu | Mikael Granlund |
| Nino Neiderreiter | Erik Haula | Jason Pominville |
| Chris Stewart | Tyler Graovac | Jordan Schroeder |
Defence
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Ryan Suter | Jared Spurgeon |
| Jonas Brodin | Christian Folin |
| Marco Scandella | Matt Dumba |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Devan Dubnyk |
| Darcy Kuemper |
Injured: James Neal (upper body), P.K. Subban (upper body), Anthony Bitetto (broken hand), Miikka Salomaki (upper body)
