Game 32: Montreal Canadiens @ Minnesota Wild
Start time: **8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PST**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Wild region: Bally Sports North X, Bally Sports Wisconsin X
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN
A loss to the Detroit Red Wings on November 26 was the seventh in a row for the Minnesota Wild. The result put the team’s record at 5-10-4 through the opening 19 games. Despite a report just days earlier that the club’s head coach remained the man for the job, the day after that 4-1 loss at Little Caesars Arena, Dean Evanson was fired.
John Hynes took over behind the bench, and the losing streak was snapped the next game. The Wild went on to win four in a row, and in the 11 games played so far in Hynes’s tenure, there have been eight wins and three regulation losses. There’s a lot of work left to do if the Wild are going to make the post-season for the fourth consecutive year, but at least they’ve recovered to a .500 mark and their playoff aspirations are much more realistic.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Wild |
|---|---|---|
| 14-13-4 | Record | 13-13-4 |
| 46.5% (27th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 52.2% (10th) |
| 2.71 (27th) | Goals per game | 3.00 (20th) |
| 3.32 (22nd) | Goals against per game | 3.20 (19th) |
| 18.0% (22nd) | PP% | 17.2% (23rd) |
| 73.2% (28th) | PK% | 72.2% (31st) |
| 0-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-0 |
When Evason was fired, the Wild had allowed an average of 3.95 goals against per game; only the San Jose Sharks were worse at an even 4.00. The team’s penalty kill ranked dead last in the NHL at 66.7%, nearly four percentage points worse than the next team on the list. The flow of their games wasn’t as one-sided as those numbers suggest, however. They were 11th in high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes in all situations, and had the ninth-lowest expected goals against average of 2.94, a full goal less than the actual total.
As is often the case, the reason for the poor team performance was goaltending, and it is the rebound at that position that has led to the current surge up the standings. The expected goals against stat is virtually unchanged since the coaching switch, but the team’s save percentage has risen from the third-worst mark of .872 through 19 games to a league-high .937 in the 11 contests under Hynes. Minnesota surrendered fewer than three goals just four times in the first 19 games. They’ve achieved that eight times in 11 contests with their new coach.
The Canadiens were one of those four teams held to two or fewer in their third match of the year. In their first full game after Kirby Dach’s season-ending injury, the general ineptitude of the Wild’s goaltending couldn’t override Marc-Andre Fleury’s penchant for big performances at the Bell Centre. He was named the first star with a 26-save performance, earning another ovation from the crowd.
Given Fleury’s history versus the Canadiens (a 27-13-6 record), Hynes might tap him for a second consecutive start following an incredible effort in Boston on Tuesday. Fleury and Linus Ullmark went toe save-to-toe save at TD Garden in a goalie duel filled with highlight-reel stops, and came out of it with a .930 save percentage and his fifth win of the year.
Martin St-Louis will be countering with Samuel Montembeault, using his top netminder versus the tougher opponent in another back-to-back and saving Cayden Primeau’s start for tomorrow. Montembeault surrendered five goals in the first meeting with Minnesota this season — all special-teams goals with three on the power play and two on the same short-handed situation — but has earned points in six of his last eight starts.
Montreal’s goaltender will have to be particularly sharp against Minnesota’s top trio of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy. Boldy missed the first game in Montreal while his current teammates combined for five points, but the third-year forward has been making up for lost time. He’s enjoyed the most offensive success under Hynes, scoring seven goals in 11 games, recording one more point in that time than Kaprizov.
The Canadiens will be hoping Josh Anderson stays hot after back-to-back two-goal games, but they have other lines and defence pairings performing well also. The Habs are playing some solid hockey at the moment, maybe not for the 60 minutes to take full advantage of their current form, but generally outplaying opponents.
Given that both clubs are playing well right now, this one has the potential to be an entertaining match. The Wild have proven nearly impossible to beat for the Habs, as Montreal has just a single win in the last 16 meetings. It will take that full-team effort to improve those numbers, and seal a winning record on this first leg of their holiday road trip.
