BROSSARD- The Montreal Canadiens will try to achieve a first this season in Carolina, Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, BSSO), by scoring a fourth victory in a row. However, the task does not look easy once morest the formidable Hurricanes.
“A lot of things impress me regarding the Hurricanes,” commented the captain Nick Suzuki, Wednesday. “It’s been one of the best teams in the League for a few seasons. They are tough, especially in their amphitheater. It will be a challenge.
“It will be interesting to see how we fare once morest them,” added the young center player.
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These are exactly the kinds of challenges that coach Martin St-Louis is eager to see his troops try to overcome.
“It’s important to have challenges like this. This is what will help us prosper as a team”, he opined, at the end of the training session of the team.
Challenges, the CH will not be short of them by the end of the regular season. After their first of three duels this season once morest the Hurricanes (35-10-8), who are second only to the Boston Bruins in the 32-team standings, the Canadians will also find the Toronto Maple Leafs (32 -14-8), Saturday. After a brief stint in Montreal, they will resume their bundles for visits to New Jersey and Philadelphia on Tuesday and Thursday.
The CH are on a streak of three victories – their second of the campaign. He had his first set of three hits between November 8 and 12.
Travel Monahan
St-Louis did not reveal the identity of the goalkeeper he will send into the fray. the veteran Jake Allen posted a 4-0 shutout once morest the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. It was Allen’s second straight start in three games since the Canadiens resumed play.
None of the injured will be able to return to action. The good news of the day is that the striker Sean Monahan (foot) seems to be getting closer to a return to play. Monahan skated with the young defender Kaiden Guhle, before the session, before accompanying his teammates to Carolina. It has been reported that he will continue his rehabilitation period. Monahan played despite a foot injury that forced him to sit out in the Dec. 5 game once morest the Vancouver Canucks.
The defender’s status Joel Edmundson (upper body) remains unchanged, i.e. daily evaluation. Edmundson was scheduled to skate solo later on Wednesday. He last played on January 26.
The presence of many players in the infirmary offers a great platform for veterans to show off. That’s what forwards Jonathan Drouin (12 assists in 12 games) do, Mike Hoffman (nine points in 10 games) and Evgenii Dadonov (five assists in seven games).
Video: OTT@MTL: Hoffman completes Matheson and AN
After his three-assist performance on Tuesday, Drouin made no secret of working to make himself more attractive to teams aspiring to top honors. Drouin is in his last contract season.
Dadonov is in the same situation as Drouin. His future is not in Montreal.
Hoffman’s case is different because he has one year left on his contract following this season. But the 33-year-old striker has seen enough in his career to know he’s not immune to a trade.
“The NHL trade deadline is like Christmas,” Hoffman said. The date is on the calendar and you know it’s coming. »
We understand that the Ontario skater from Kitchener will not lose any sleep as March 3 approaches.
“Me, since my arrival here, I just try to do my job as best as possible and help the team,” he said in a monotonous tone.
St-Louis noted that the three veterans, who were each dropped in the first half of the season, can more easily shine thanks to more stability.
“Like Dadonov at the start of the season, Hoffman was a victim of a surplus of forwards. He wasn’t in the chair he wished he had. The current situation provides him with the opportunity to be part of a stable line and to have his place on the first unit of the power play. Consistency makes him feel comfortable and he gives us good hockey. »
