Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (15-14-5) face the Florida Panthers (21-12-2) at the Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
They’re coming off a hard-fought battle against the Carolina Hurricanes in which they erased a two-goal deficit. But the Canes’ talent shone through, earning them a 5-3 win.
Power forward Josh Anderson scored in the loss, his sixth goal of the year, and his fifth goal in the last five games. He still hasn’t overcome the terrible start of the season from a production standpoint, but his recent play has been rather encouraging, and may even lead to some interesting offers at the NHL’s trade deadline.
The game also featured yet another goal from Mitchell Stephens, who has slowly yet surely found his form since being recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Goaltender Jake Allen, who currently ranks among the top 16 goaltenders in the NHL for goals saved above average, will start for the Canadiens.
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The Panthers are enjoying yet another strong season. They’re among the top teams in the Eastern Conference thanks to Sam Reinhart’s seemingly endless offensive prowess. The 28-year-old center has already registered more than 40 points on the season. He’s received scoring support from captain Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, and Matthew Tkachuk.
They’ve received decent goaltending from both Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz, who both own a save percentage above .910.
The Panthers are fresh off a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Friday night. This means the Canadiens will once again face a tired team, a situation that’s to yield many positive returns this season.
Montreal Canadiens Injuries
- Carey Price (IR)
- Chris Wideman (IR)
- Kirby Dach (out indefinitely, ACL/MCL)
- Rafael Harvey-Pinard (IR)
- Alex Newhook (out 10-12 weeks)
- Tanner Pearson (IR)
Florida Panthers Injuries
- Jonah Gadjovich (day-to-day)
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
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Florida Panthers Lineup
Rodrigues – Barkov – Reinhart
Verhaeghe – Bennett – Tkachuk
Luostarinen – Lundell – Cousins
Lomberg – Stenlund – Lockwood
Defence
Forsling – Ekblad
Mikkola – Montour
Ekman-Larsson – Kulikov
Goalie
Sergei Bobrovsky
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