The Western Conference’s hottest team comes to town. Canadiens vs Wild goes Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bell Centre (TSN2, RDS), the opener of a tough week that also includes a trip to Boston and a visit from Colorado. Minnesota arrives with Kirill Kaprizov, one of the league’s top scorers, a rookie-calibre goalie having a breakout season and a top line its own players say can “tilt the ice.” It is also a big night off the ice: the Canadiens will honour Carey Price following his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. All stats below are as of the morning of Nov. 9.
Canadiens vs Wild: where things stand
- Montreal: 11-3-3, 25 points, second in the Atlantic Division, unbeaten in regulation over its last 10 games (8-0-2) after Saturday’s 4-2 win in Toronto.
- Minnesota: 12-3-4, 28 points, first in the Central Division and first in the West. The Wild lost 4-3 in overtime to Tampa Bay on Saturday, but have points in nine of their last 10.
- Goal differential: Minnesota had allowed just 43 goals in 19 games. Montreal had scored 61 and allowed 53 in 17.
Minnesota: Kaprizov and a line that dominates
Kirill Kaprizov is having a monster start. He had 16 goals and 31 points through 19 games, including a goal and three assists in Friday’s 4-1 win over San Jose, according to the Wild’s game recap. Quinn Hughes, now a Wild defenceman, added a goal and two assists that night and had 26 points as of Nov. 9. “I just feel like we can tilt the ice when they’re out there,” Hughes said of the Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek line.
In goal, Jesper Wallstedt has taken the job and run: 11-2-3 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 16 games. The Wild may also get a boost on the blue line soon. Defenceman Brock Faber, recovering from a skull fracture suffered in a preseason game, is skating again and was expected to travel on the three-game road trip that starts in Montreal, NHL.com reported. His return date has not been set.
Montreal: the captain is back
Nick Suzuki returned on Thursday after missing six games with an injury and made an instant impact: a goal and two assists in a 5-4 overtime win over Utah, with Cole Caufield scoring the winner 30 seconds into overtime, the Canadiens reported. Adam Engstrom scored his first NHL goal to tie that game late.
- Lane Hutson led the team with 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists) as of Nov. 9.
- Cole Caufield had a team-high 11 goals and 16 points.
- Nick Suzuki had 15 points in only 11 games.
- Juraj Slafkovský had 12 points, 10 of them assists.
In net, rookie Jacob Fowler was 8-1-1 with a 2.15 GAA and a .925 save percentage after a 26-save win in Toronto on Saturday. He was named the NHL’s rookie of the month for October and won the Molson Cup, per the team, including a 46-save shutout in St. Louis. Jakub Dobes started against Utah, so watch for who gets the call Tuesday. Alex Newhook, who scored twice against the Leafs, is another name to watch.
Keys to the game
- Stay out of the box. Two of Minnesota’s goals against San Jose came on the power play, including a 5-on-3. Discipline matters against Hughes and Kaprizov.
- Win the top-line matchup. With last change at home, Martin St-Louis can pick his matchups. Getting Suzuki and Caufield on the ice against Kaprizov’s trio, and winning those shifts, could decide the night.
- Start fast. Montreal fell behind 3-0 against Utah. Spotting the Wild an early lead would be a much bigger problem.
A measuring-stick week
Tuesday kicks off three games in five days against strong opponents. On Thursday, the Habs visit a Boston team that sat first in the Atlantic at 13-4-1 with 27 points and a four-game winning streak as of Nov. 9. Then on Saturday, Colorado (10-6-2) comes to the Bell Centre for the team’s annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night, when the Canadiens will host nearly 60 children from Leucan and their families. Taking points from the Wild and the Bruins would go a long way toward proving Montreal’s strong start is for real, and keep the Habs in the race for top spot in the division.
Game info
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Bell Centre
- TV: TSN2 and RDS
- Next: at Boston on Thursday, then Colorado at home Saturday for Hockey Fights Cancer Night (details). Full schedule on the Canadiens’ site.
Catch up on the homestand with our previews of Canadiens vs Jets and Canadiens vs Utah, plus Saturday’s trip to Toronto. Watching with friends? Here are our favourite bars to watch the Habs. Go Habs Go!
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Photo: Ken Lund / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Sources: NHL.com (Wild), NHL.com (Canadiens), Canadiens recap (Nov. 7), NHL standings data (as of Nov. 9)
