Montreal Canadiens at Vancouver Canucks
Rogers Arena 10pm EST
Coverage:TV – RDS, RogersSportsnet Pacific Radio: CJAD
Canucks coverage at Nucks Misconduct
Last 10 games: Montreal: 4-4-2 Vancouver: 7-3-0
The Numbers: The Canadiens are 1-7-1 since 2000 in Vancouver. On the road, against Western Canada teams, since the 2000-01 season the Canadiens are 4-17-4 with two ties. The Canucks are 21-4-5 at home this season.
An interesting, and maybe motivational tweet from Dave Stubbs today (and where he got it, I don’t know.) “Habs are 7-1-3-1 lifetime on Tuesdays in Vancouver vs Canucks.”
Carey Pricewill get the start in goal for the Canadiens, and is 1-1 (3.51. /896) against the Canucks. In his only prior visit to Vancouver, the BC native allowed seven goals on 32 shots. Price shutout the Canucks in their only other meeting this season in Montreal.
Things to watch from the home team: The Canucks power play tops the NHL with an efficiency rating of 25%, and their penalty killing ranks fourth (85.5%). Daniel Sedin leads the NHL in scoring, while twin brother Henrik Sedin is third.
Defensemen Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard both return to action. Hamhuis missed five games from a concussion, while Ballard had missed seven with a knee sprain. Canucks coach Allain Vigneault said he will manage the minutes of the two defenders.
Centre Cody Hodgson has been called up from the Manitoba Moose.
Projected Habs Lineup
Forwards
Cammalleri-Plekanec-Halpern | Pacioretty-Gomez-Gionta | Pouliot-Desharnais-White| Kostitsyn-Eller-Moen
Defense pairings
Gill-Subban | Hamrlik-Wisniewski | Weber-Mara
I’ll be honest, I have no hope in hell of staying up past the first period of tonight’s game. The real job, that I returned to today after playing reporter for three great days, calls at 8am.
Pre-Game/Between period reading
Molson Canadian named official beer of the NHL, starting in 2011-12. No, there will not be a conflict of interest with the Habs as they are owned by the Molson brothers and not Molson Coors. Labatt has apparently already begun preparations to contest the new deal.
Chris Boucher says put away the pitchforks, and listen to the numbersThise into the microstats, may also like some of his analysis. Here’s his results from Sunday’s game.
Who really won the Battle of Quebec?
Despite losing three straight, the Habs move up to number 12 on the TSN Power Rankings.
