The Habs are down two forward bodies, with Torrey Mitchell and, now, Devante Smith-Pelly both on the mend with lower-body injuries. The Canadiens’ depth will get a chance to make an impression tonight, with Sven Andrighetto getting the call to play on the second line alongside Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller. The call-up came right after Andrighetto scored a highlight-reel overtime goal Friday night in St. John’s.
The injuries have also created a second chance for Alex Semin, who will play on the fourth line. Semin had one assist, four shots on net, and was plus-two in 9:01 of ice-time on Friday against the Islanders.
The Canadiens almost gave up a two-goal lead twice on Friday night, but managed to escape Brooklyn with a 5-3 victory. The Habs will going for their seventh straight win, and second straight regular season sweep of the Isles, who haven’t beaten the Canadiens since April 10, 2014 when Evgeni Nabokov recorded a shutout in a 2-0 Islanders’ victory.
Carey Price picked up where he left off in his return on Friday, making 33 saves on 36 shots, including a number of critical saves at the beginning of the game and right at the end when the Islanders were pressing for the tie. Thomas Greiss was excellent coming in replacement for Jaroslav Halak after Halak allowed three goals in the first period. Greiss will get the start for the Islanders after allowing only one goal on 16 shots.
Although Alexei Emelin skated this morning, it is unlikely he will play tonight, as he remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
The puck drops at 7:00 PM EST.
How To Watch:
In Canada (French): RDS
In Canada (English): Sportsnet
In the Islanders’ region: MSG+
Elsewhere: NHL GameCenter, NHL Center Ice
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Max Pacioretty | Tomas Plekanec | Brendan Gallagher |
| Lars Eller | Alex Galchenyuk | Sven Andrighetto |
| Tomas Fleischmann | David Desharnais | Dale Weise |
| Paul Byron | Brian Flynn | Alexander Semin |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Andrei Markov | P.K. Subban |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Jeff Petry |
| Tom Gilbert | Greg Pateryn |
| Goaltenders |
| Carey Price |
| Mike Condon |
Scratched: Jarred Tinordi
Injuries: Torrey Mitchell (lower body), Alex Emelin (lower body), Devante Smith-Pelly (lower body), Michael Bournival (post-concussion syndrome)
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Brock Nelson | John Tavares | Kyle Okposo |
| Anders Lee | Frans Nielsen | Josh Bailey |
| Nikolai Kulemin | Mikhail Grabovski | Steve Bernier |
| Matt Martin | Casey Cizikas | Cal Clutterbuck |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Nick Leddy | Travis Hamonic |
| Calvin De Haan | Johnny Boychuk |
| Brian Strait | Adam Pelech |
| Goaltenders |
| Thomas Greiss |
| Jaroslav Halak |
Scratched: Tyler Beck, Jean-Francois Berube, Marek Zidlicky
Injuries: Thomas Hickey (lower body), Eric Boulton (lower body)
Check out the enemy over at Lighthouse Hockey.
