fter a road trip where the Habs won all four of their games on opposing rinks without their captain Nick Suzuki, they will be back in front of their fans to host their arch-nemesis and Sidney Crosby. The Bleu-Blanc-Rouge will try to put an end to a streak of two consecutive losses against the Penguins, who have won eight of the last ten meetings between the two teams. However, Jacob Fowler, who will get the start, is the goaltender with the two victories. He has a perfect record of 2-0 with a goals-against average of 1.00 and a save percentage of .971, including a shutout in his career against Pittsburgh!
Mike Matheson will miss a second consecutive game as he is still dealing with a lower-body injury and will be out for two to four weeks. Even though I’m one of those who believe Matheson is an important player for the Habs, I also believe the Canadiens can do just fine without him. Although that means absolutely nothing this season! Nick Suzuki, who was originally expected to miss two to four weeks (ten to fourteen games), seems very close to a return as he was taking shots and faceoffs during the morning practice. Samuel Montembeault is now day-to-day, while Ivan Demidov is still wearing his orthopedic boot.
Generally, when the team returns from a road trip, the first home game is never very conclusive, which is where the “trap game” in my title comes from. Personally, I believe the Canadiens will feed off the energy of their fans and remain perfect since the loss of their captain, picking up a fifth consecutive win. Expect a wild crowd when Michel Lacroix announces “Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen, accueillons nos Canadiens” to the tune of Coldplay’s Fix You! I don’t know about you, but for me, it gives me chills every time!
If they win tonight, Jacob Fowler would join Carey Price as a 21-year-old goaltender to reach 7 consecutive victories and would be just one win away from joining Carter Hart (2019) and Jocelyn Thibault (1995), who hold the NHL record with eight consecutive wins for a goaltender aged 21 or younger.
In the first meeting between the two teams this season, the Canadiens fell 6-5 in overtime at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Tommy Novak’s second goal of the game.
https://youtu.be/UxBgMgOoZTg?si=VwrLXYCMfVpPUnA4
Season prediction: 7-6
Guaranteed win: 2-0
Prediction:
PIT – 2
MTL – 4
With that, have a great rest of your day everyone and enjoy the game tonight.