New Jersey Devils at Canadiens: Five things you should know

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The Canadiens are wrapping up a five-game homestand, which hasn’t gone as well as planned.

Author of the article:

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date:

Dec 14, 2017 • December 14, 2017 • 3 minute read • Join the conversation

Montreal Canadiens' Daniel Carr (43) scores on backhand on Calgary Flames goalie David Rittich during first period NHL action in Montreal on Dec. 7, 2017.
Montreal Canadiens’ Daniel Carr (43) scores on backhand on Calgary Flames goalie David Rittich during first period NHL action in Montreal on Dec. 7, 2017. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal Gazette

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-New Jersey Devils game Thursday at the Bell Center (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio):

The match-up: The Canadiens are wrapping up a five-game homestand, which hasn’t gone as well as planned. Montreal is 1-2-1 in this stretch and has lost its last three games to drop out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. This is a key game for the Canadiens, who play seven games on the road to close out the month. The Devils are in better shape after ending the Los Angeles Kings’ eight-game win streak with a 5-1 win Wednesday in Newark. The win moved the surprising Devils back into third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 17-9-4 record. The Devils are an impressive 10-4-2 on the road.

The puck stops here: Carey Price was dynamite this month when he and the Canadiens went on a five-game winning streak and allowed only six goals with a .964 save percentage. But Price struggled early in the season and has struggled during the past three games, giving up 11 goals and getting pulled after he gave up four goals on 14 shots in Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Edmonton. He has an 8-9-2 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage on the season. The Devils will start Cory Schneider. His 2.64 goals-against average isn’t great, but he has a solid .920 save percentage to go with his 12-6-3 record.

Fourth line rides Carr: One of the few bright spots for the Canadiens during the past two weeks has been the hard work put in by the fourth line led by Daniel Carr. He has a point in each of the five games he has played since being recalled from the Laval Rocket with two goals and five assists. During Wednesday’s practice, Carr was rewarded when he was placed on the No. 2 power-play unit with Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry. The power play is the area where the Canadiens miss Andrei Markov’s skill as a quarterback. The Canadians rank 20 th with a 17.82-per-cent success rate.

Not Taylor Hall: The Canadiens get one break in this game — they won’t have to face Taylor Hall, the Devils’ leading scorer. Hall scored two goals in Wednesday’s win over the Kings, but left the game after a knee-on-knee collision with the Kings’ Kurtis MacDermid. Devils coach John Hynes said Hall suffered a bruised knee, but there is no structural damage. Hall leads the Devils with 11 goals and 31 points. The Devils also announced that Marcus Johnsson has been placed on the injured reserve list with a bruised ankle. Kyle Palmieri, who has missed 11 games with a broken foot, will travel to Montreal but will not play.

Busy schedule for the road ahead: The Canadiens are going on the road for seven games starting with Saturday’s NHL 100 Classic outdoor game against the Senators at TD Place. This isn’t good news because (a) the Canadiens don’t have a very good record in this annual pilgrimage around the Christmas holiday (b) the trip includes a three-game swing through Western Canada, where the Canadiens have struggled in the past, and (c) the Canadiens have a 5-7-1 record on the road this season. The Canadiens will be away from home Dec. 16-30 with a little more than 50 hours at home to enjoy Christmas.

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