Preview Game #61

Tampa Bay vs. Canadiens

Bell Centre – Feb. 24nd, 2018 – 7:10pm

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Season Records – Tampa Bay – 61GP (41-17-3) 85pts. 2nd in NHL/1st in Eastern Conference. Canadiens 60GP (23-29-8) 54 pts. 27th in NHL

Last Ten Games – Tampa Bay (6-4-0) Canadiens (3-5-2)

Home/Away – Tampa Bay on the Road (21-11-2) Canadiens at home (15-10-6)

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Lineup Changes –

….Tomas Plekanec will be a healthy scratch pending Monday’s trade deadline.

….Byron Froese will centre Galchenyuk & Hudon. Jacob de Rose centers fourth line with Carr & Deslauriers.

….Antti Niemi in goal for Canadiens vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy.

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Head-to-Head –

….Third of four meetings @Tampa Dec. 28 Tampa-3 Canadiens-1. Stamkos – 2 goals. Price vs. Vasilevskiy. @Bell Centre Jan. 4th Canadiens-2 Tampa-1 (shootout). Byron with shootout winner. Pacioretty for Montreal; Kucherov for Tampa. Price allows 1 goal on 45 shots.

….Over the last three seasons the Canadiens have a 7-2-1 record vs. Tampa. Prior to that they had lost seven in a row (Including playoffs – 9 of 11)

….Career vs. Tampa – Max Pacioretty has 12 goals and 23 points in 30 games. Tomas Plekanec 13g, 17a in 48 games. Brendan Gallagher has 5 goals, 5 assists in 20 career games vs. Tampa.

….In 17 career games vs. Montreal Nikita Kucherov has 4 goals, 8 assists; Steven Stamkos has 15 goals and 24 points in 31 games vs. the Canadiens and defenseman Victor Hedman 26 points in 29 games (6g, 20a)

….Antti Niemi has been in ten games vs. Tampa with a record of 5-4-1; 1 shutout, a 3.37GAA and .886 save%.

….Vs the Canadiens Andrei Vasilevskiy is 3-1-2 in 6 games, 2.13GAA and .930 save%.

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About the Canadiens –

….The Canadiens have lost 29 games in regulation time this season through 60 games. Since the 1946-47 season when the league schedule was expanded to 60 games the Canadiens have recorded more regulation losses once through 60 games (31 in 2000-2001)

…..In 44 games since November 9th the Canadiens have managed three goals or more only 18 times. They are only 11-7 in those games.

….The Canadiens’ offense is ranked 28th in the league at 2.49 per game. They allow 3.08 goals per game – 23rd.

….Since December 23rd the Canadiens have won seven of 25 games (7-14-4) – .320 win percentage.

….The Canadiens have been shut out eight times this season – tied with Ottawa for most in the league.

….The Canadiens have won only 4 of their last 16 against Eastern Conference teams.

….The Canadiens penalty killing at home ranks 4th in the NHL at 86.2%. On the road they are the league’s worst at 69.3%.

….Brendan Gallagher has five goals, 9 assists his last 13 games.

….Max Pacioretty ‘s current goalscoring slump is now eleven games.

….Alex Galchenyuk has no goals his last twelve games.

….Tomas Plekanec has three goals on 88 shots on goal over the 46 games since November 4th.

….As a member of the Canadiens Antti Niemi has been in 9 games, 7 as a starter with a record of 3-2-1, a 2.58GAA and .922 save%.

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About the Lightning –

….Tampa has led the Atlantic Division unceasingly since Oct. 19th. They durrently hold a three point lead over Boston.

….The Lightning are the league’s number one scoring team at 3.49 goals per game. They are 8th in goals against at 2.61 per game. Their goal differential is a league leading plus-55.

….Tampa leads the league in road wins (22), road points (44); goals on the road 118 and road goal differential (+27).

….The Lightning are 3-3-0 over their last six games.

….The Lightning need one road win to tie the franchise mark for most road wins in a season (22) .

….Nikita Kucherov is the NHL’s leading scorer with 80 points in 61 games. He leads the league in even-strength goals (27) and is third in total goals behind Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin.

….Kucherov took over the NHL scoring lead on Dec. 12 and has held it since.

….Kucherov has an active eight game scoring streak during which he has record 14 points (5g, 9a)

….Brayden Point has nine game winning goals this season, second in the NHL to Calgary’s Sean Monahan (11). .

….Point is on a six game point streak (6g 5a)

….Yanni Gourde ranks third among rookie scorers this season with 47 points (22g, 25a) (Matt Barzal 65pts; Brock Boeser 51)

….Lightning defensemen have scored 34 goals this season. Only Nashville has more from their “D” – 44.

….Andrei Vasilevskiy has won eight of his last 11 starts. He leads the NHL in wins.; Shutouts (7).

…..Vasilevskiy leads the NHL in shutouts with seven. Six of his seven shutouts have been on the road.

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Goaltending –

….Antti Niemi has appeared in 14 games this season with a record of 3-6-1 – 0 shutouts; 3.86GAA and .888 save%.

….Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 35-12-2 record in 50 appearances, 7 shutouts; 2.33GAA and .928 save%.

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Special Teams – Power Play – Tampa ranked 2nd (52/213) 24.4% Canadiens ranked 12th (38/182) 20.9%. Penalty Killing – Tampa ranked 23rd (44/199) 77.9% Canadiens ranked 25th (43/188 77.1%

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Canadiens Lines & Pairings

67-Max Pacioretty 92-Jonathan Drouin 62-Artturi Lehkonen

27-Alex Galchenyuk 42-Byron Froese 54-Charles Hudon

41-Paul Byron 24-Phillip Danault 11-Brendan Gallagher

20- Nicolas Deslauriers 25-Jacob de la Rose 43-Daniel Carr

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53-Victor Mete 26-Jeff Petry

22-Karl Alzner 58-Noah Juulsen

45-Joe Morrow 8-Jamie Benn

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37-Antti Niemi

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Healthy Scratch – C Tomas Plekanec; LW Logan Shaw; D David Schlemko

Injuries – G Carey Price (concussion); C Andrew Shaw (IR lower body); D Shea Weber (IR broken foot); RW Alex Hemsky (IR concussion)

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Tampa Bay Lines & Pairings

90-Vladislav Namestnikov 91-Steven Stamkos 24-Ryan Callahan

17-Alex Killorn 21-Brayden Point 86-Nikita Kucherov

14-Chris Kunitz 37-Yanni Gourde 9-Tyler Johnson

73-Adam Erne 13-Cedric Paquette 89-Cory Conacher

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77-Victor Hedman 6-Anton Stralman

98-Mikhail Sergachev 5-Dan Girardi

55-Braydon Coburn 62-Andrej Sustr

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88-Andrei Vasilevskiy

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Injuries – LW Ondrej Palat (IR lower body); G Peter Budaj (IR leg)

Healthy Scratches – D Jake Dotchin; D Slater Koekkoek; LW Gabriel Dumont