Connect with us

pre-game report

Game 52: Winnipeg Jets vs Montreal Canadiens pre-game report

A look at the projected lineup with all the latest game info.

The Jets left Winnipeg feeling good about their game having won three straight and making Canada Life Centre a tough place for opponents to visit courtesy of their 20-5-3 record at home. On the road they’ve still been good (14-9-0) just not as lights out although after eight straight games at home this will be just their third road game in the month of January. They hold the distinction of being the team with the most goals in the NHL but they remain one of the stingiest with the third least given up this season.

Up front the Jets have prospect Brad Lambert who they recalled from the farm team but given the way the forwards are playing it seems unlikely he gets his fifth game of the season. The question mark might be on the backend as I wonder if Jets coach Scott Arniel may want to get Colin Miller back in after healthy scratching him the last three games. Might we see Ville Heinola who has also been a healthy scratch the last five games. I suspect if they do make a move it will be to insert Miller and flip Stanley to his usual left side but we will have to wait for morning skate to get a better idea.

The last time these two clubs faced off Patrik Laine made the mistake of chirping Connor Hellebuyck and the two-time Vezina winner got the last laugh as his club picked up the 4-2 win back on December 14th.

While the goal differential for the Habs is -15 this club has turned things around and are in contention for a wild card spot in the East sitting just two points back of the Lightning which means this is an important game for them. They’ve gone 6-2-2 in their last ten contests and are 13-8-4 at the Bell Centre. The power play sits 20th overall in the NHL while the penalty kill is 9th overall.

Skate news:

As per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press who is in Montreal no changes for the Jets today as they roll the same lineup that has been a winning formula for them.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

Connor – Scheifele – Vilardi
Ehlers – Namestnikov – Perfetti
Niederreiter – Kupari  – Appleton
Barron – Gustafsson – Iafallo

Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Fleury – Stanley

Hellebuyck
Comrie

Canadiens projected lines & D pairs:

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Dach – Laine
Pezzetta – Dvorak – Gallagher
Harvey–Pinard – Evans – Armia

Matheson – Carrier
Hutson – Reinbacher (no contact)
Xhekaj – Savard

Montembeault
Dobes

The lines and D pairs were as per the Habs practice notes although they did confirm today following the optional morning skate that it will be Samuel Montembeault in net.

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 6 PM CST. Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can join us on our YouTube channel for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show around 8:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.