Canadiens Preview: Kapanen Unavailable Versus Penguins
· Yahoo Sports
The Montreal Canadiens are set to play their second game of the season Saturday night, facing the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Although the Canadiens edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in their season opener, the performance was far from perfect. The top line is still working to build chemistry following the arrival of Chris Kreider, a process that should improve as the season progresses. Phenom Lane Hutson posted underwhelming underlying numbers, though he too is developing chemistry with defensive partner Alexandre Carrier.
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Compounding matters, the Habs have not played since Tuesday, stripping away any residual momentum.
To defeat Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, Montreal’s best players will need to elevate their games while also receiving secondary and tertiary support from veterans, much as they did versus the Maple Leafs.
Head coach Martin St. Louis rarely alters a winning lineup, so no changes are expected versus the Penguins. Oliver Kapanen remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engström will serve as healthy scratches, while Jakub Dobes will start the game for the Habs.
The Penguins opened their season in emphatic fashion, thrashing the rival Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday. Filip Hallander recorded a three-point night, while Nick Robertson and Hendrix Lapierre each contributed two points.
Surprisingly, Crosby (one assist) and Evgeni Malkin (one goal) managed only a point apiece in the blowout, suggesting both still have plenty left in the tank and will demand close attention. Crosby has tallied 26 goals and 46 assists in 55 career games against the Canadiens; Malkin has 22 goals and 42 assists in 52 meetings.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Chris Kreider
Juraj Slafkovsky – Alex Newhook – Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier – Phillip Danault – Kirby Dach
Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson – Alexandre Carrier
Jayden Struble – Arber Xhekaj
Jakub Dobes
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lineup
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinkahov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Filip Hallander
Connor Dewar – Ben Kindel – Andrei Kuzmenko
Declan Carlile – Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard – Kaedan Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk – Kris Letang
Arturs Silovs
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins – How To Watch
The Montreal Canadiens versus Pittsburgh Penguins, Saturday, October 3, will be aired on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. An instant recap complete with highlights will be immediately available on Sportsnaut once the final whistle blows.
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