Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (3-4-1) are set to face the Philadelphia Flyers (2-5-1) on Sunday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Martin St-Louis’ team is coming off a well-deserved win over the Blues, with forward Cole Caufield scoring his seventh goal of the year thanks to some quick thinking and smart defensive positioning by Lane Hutson, not to mention Nick Suzuki’s offensive prowess. It should also be noted forward Kirby Dach scored his first goal of the year, doing so as a winger on the top line, rather than his usual position as the anchor for the second line.
GOOOAL CAUFIELD!
Cole’s up to seven goals this season!
: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/MJ2YYiyebn
— NHL (@NHL) October 27, 2024
Before either Dach or Caufield scored, it was Jake Evans who set the tone, a familiar situation for the hard-working centre. When the chips are down, you can always count on players like Evans or Suzuki to lead the charge, a crucial role on any team, particularly organizations who are in the midst of a rebuild.
Defenceman Arber Xhekaj also made a positive impact while playing on the third pairing with Jayden Struble. Xhekaj has been at the centre of a contrived controversy since the start of the season, but once we push past the white noise, it’s quite apparent Xhekaj is one of the few defencemen on the team that can come close to controlling over 50 percent of the shots on any given night. Additionally, the Canadiens are the worst team in the NHL when it comes to controlling shots, which makes benching Xhekaj a questionable decision, to say the least.
Speaking of defencemen making a positive impact, Hutson was once again among the team’s top players, an encouraging sign for a player who is tasked with a lot considering his lack of professional experience.
The only expected lineup change against the Flyers is goaltender Cayden Primeau starting on Sunday, though we will have to keep an eye out for Josh Anderson at the pre-game warm up. He blocked a shot on the penalty kill last night, and looked to be in significant pain once he made his way to the bench.
Big blocks by Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson on the PK. Anderson seemed to be in considerable pain on the bench. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/21ptU4QN57
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 27, 2024
Consequently, the Canadiens recalled Lucas Condotta from the AHL after the game, but he could end up playing on the fourth line, in lieu of Michael Pezzetta, who took two minor penalties against the Blues.
On Topic: Canadiens Instant Recap: Dach And Hutson Shine In Big Win
The Flyers have had their fair share of growing pains this season, however, they’re coming off a 7-5 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Seeing as the Canadiens had to travel to face Philadelphia, the Flyers should have the edge when it comes to endurance and energy.
Russian forward Matvei Michkov is currently the team’s best forward, as evidenced by the fact that he leads the Flyers in scoring with four goals and five assists in just eight games. Of course, the conversation will undoubtedly turn toward the Canadiens’ decision to overlook Michkov at the draft, despite desperately needing to add elite offensive prospects to the organization.
It’s perfectly fine to suggest the Habs should have drafted Michkov, but we don’t need to drag David Reinbacher down to do so. He had nothing to do with the decision by the Canadiens, several teams were interested in drafting him in the top five, and the multiple injuries he has suffered since the draft were impossible to anticipate. It’s very easy to make the argument the Habs should have drafted Michkov without demeaning Reinbacher.
For the view from the other side of the rink, don’t forget to visit our sister site, Philadelphia Hockey Now.
Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup
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Philadelphia Flyers Projected Lineup
Travis Konecny – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Garnet Hathaway
Scott Laughton – Ryan Poehling – Joel Farabee
Nick Deslauriers – Noah Cates – Tyson Foerster
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula – Erik Johnson
Alexei Kolosov (S)
How to Watch The Montreal Canadiens vs. The Philadelphia Flyers, October 27, 2024
Game 9 of the regular season will be aired on TSN2 and RDS. Once the game is over, an instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Montreal Hockey Now.
