The Habs’ first line is on fire, setting ablaze their opponents with 15 points in its last three games (seven goals, eight assists), led by Max Pacioretty and, of course, Alex Galchenyuk, who has 11 goals in his past eight games.
That line will look to remain hot tonight, with the mathematics of the Canadiens playoff hopes still not computing as “impossible.”
“Unlikely” is the better word to use for it at this point, as with 14 games left on the schedule, the Habs will need to win virtually every game to qualify, and with another major piece of the the team sidelined indefinitely in P.K. Subban, the Habs’ cupboards are nearly bare. Of the 20 players who started on the team this season, only seven will be playing tonight.
The Wild are looking to stop a two-game skid after they had put together a four-game winning streak. Since head coach Mike Yeo’s firing, the team is on a run of 8-4-0 after losing eight games in a row prior under their former bench boss. The Wild are two points back of the last Western Conference wildcard spot, and after a close loss in Edmonton on Thursday night, will be hungry to get back on the winning track against a wounded opponent.
Lineup notes: P.K. Subban is day-to-day, and will miss a game with injury for the first time in his career (434 games); Lars Eller will remain out still battling an illness; Stefan Matteau suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday’s win over the Sabres and will not play tonight; Charles Hudon will get to play on the second line after being called up yesterday, as will Darren Deitz on defense who, at the age of 22, will be playing in his first NHL game; Mike Condon gets the start between the pipes.
The puck drops at 7:00 PM EST.
How To Watch:
In Canada (French): TVAS
In Canada (English): Sportsnet
In the Wild Region: FS-N
Elsewhere: NHL GameCenter, NHL Center Ice, NHL.TV
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Max Pacioretty | Alex Galchenyuk | Sven Andrighetto |
| Charles Hudon | Tomas Plekanec | Paul Byron |
| Jacon de la Rose | Michael McCarron | Torrey Mitchell |
| Lucas Lessio | Philip Danault | Mike Brown |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Andrei Markov | Mark Barberio |
| Alexei Emelin | Greg Pateryn |
| Victor Bartley | Darren Deitz |
| Goaltenders |
| Mike Condon |
| Ben Scrivens |
Injuries: Carey Price (lower body), Daniel Carr (lower body), Jeff Petry (lower body), Brian Flynn (lower body), David Desharnais (broken foot), Tom Gilbert (lower body), Nathan Beaulieu (lower body), Brendan Gallagher (lower body), P.K. Subban (neck), Stefan Matteau (lower body), Lars Eller (illness)
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Zach Parise | Mikko Koivu | Charlie Coyle |
| Thomas Vanek | Mikael Granlund | Jason Zucker |
| Nino Niederreiter | Erik Haula | Justin Fontaine |
| Chris Porter | Jarrett Stoll | David Jones |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Ryan Suter | Jared Spurgeon |
| Marco Scandella | Matt Dumba |
| Jonas Brodin | Mike Reilly |
| Goaltenders |
| Devan Dubnyk |
| Darcy Kuemper |
Scratched: Ryan Carter
Injuries: Jason Pominville (lower body), Nick Prosser (illness)
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