Nashville looks to continue their point streak as they take on Montreal tonight. The Canadiens on the other hand, are looking to stop the bleeding on their season.
The Montreal Canadiens
Who would have thought that this team’s success would be predicated on one player’s performance? Well, apparently that was the case with the Habs and Carey Price. With Price in the lineup at the beginning of the season, this team looked like they were going to cruise by everyone this year. That all drastically changed when he went down with an injury.
Tonight’s Opponent
Tonight’s Opponent
The Canadiens had to rely on their talent up front to carry them while Price has been out. Unfortunately for them, that hasn’t really been the case. P.K. Subban leads the team in points with 46. They only have one guy who has broken the twenty goal mark so far, and that’s Max Pacioretty, but Brendan Gallagher, Dale Weise, Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec (The Turtleneck Gangster) and Lars Eller all at least have double digit goal figures. That’s not terrible for a middle of pack offensive team.
This team definitely has the talent to compete, but they just aren’t putting it together with Price out. They went from winning nine in a row to start the season and first place in the division, to being and inconsistent team that can’t get anything going. Maybe all they need is the return of Carey Price in net, who knows. By the time he comes back though, it could be a little too late.
The Nashville Predators
I think it is safe to say that no one in Nashville wants to see a 3-on-3 overtime period ever again. The Predators are just 1-10 in games decided in overtime, and just don’t have any confidence going into the extra period. Let’s hope for our sake that we don’t see too many more games that are decided in overtime. I mean, I know I’m not the only one that feels this way.
I hate 3 on 3 hockey.
— Gnash (@Gnash00) February 21, 2016
#Preds in OT… pic.twitter.com/uq93sTbxNT
— Fang Fingers (@FangFingersTN) February 21, 2016
Looking on the bright side though, this tweet below is a good sign:
If the Predators earn a point tonight, they’ll set a single-season franchise record for longest point streak on the road (8), via STATS LLC.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) February 22, 2016
This stat tells me two things. One, the Predators have been playing extremely well on the road ever since the western Canada trip. And two, it’s a sign that they have become more consistent.
The eight game road point streak isn’t the only streak they have going either. They are also going for getting a point in their sixth straight game overall. I have mentioned this before in my tweets and previous previews, but this could be the turning point in the season that Nashville needs to make the extra push.
Minnesota is hot on the heels of the Predators, so every point is crucial from here on out.
Sights And Sounds
The usual suspects once again tonight. FS-TN and 102.5 The Game. We got a little bit of an earlier puck drop tonight. Puck drops at 6:30 pm CST.