The road trip continues as the Vegas Golden Knights look to pile on the misery against the Montreal Canadiens today.
After beating the Ottawa Senators on Thursday to give new Head Coach Peter DeBoer his first win, the Vegas Golden Knights will now look to build some momentum before the All-Star Break by beating a Canadiens team that is bereft of form right now.
They have gone just 3-6-1 in their last 10 outings and are sixth in the Atlantic Division with 49 points in 49 games.
Montreal did blowout the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, with Ilya Kovalchuk having found a new lease of life with the Canadiens.
On that note, let’s delve into some of the storylines that will be worth keeping an eye on throughout today’s showdown…
Storyline 1 – New Coach, New ways
Although new Head Coach Peter DeBoer is being careful to slowly implement his non-negotiables and preferred systems, his fingerprints can already be seen on this team.
Just look at the victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Knights were much more aggressive, while pretty much every player had shorter shifts.
Those two go hand-in-hand, of course, given that the more energy you have from shorter shifts then the more you will step on the gas in the latter stages of the game.
And I have a funny feeling that DeBoer will begin to enforce his way of doing things a lot more during today’s game in Montreal.
After all, he has spoken of those players in the locker room being intelligent and therefore being capable of taking information on board.
So, don’t be surprised if we see some tweaks in the systems used by the Golden Knights today against the Canadiens.
Storyline 2 – Don’t fix what isn’t broken
After masterminding a win in his debut as Head Coach of the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, Peter DeBoer will stick with the same lineup for today’s showdown with the Montreal Canadiens.
Marc-Andre Fleury, who was excellent against Ottawa, will go in goal while Chandler Stephenson will get another chance to shine on the top line with William Karlsson week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Carey Price will go in goal for the Canadiens and the elite goalie is starting to hot up, while he owns a record of 19-16-4 this year with a 2.82 Goals Against Average and a .909 Save Percentage.
Storyline 3 – Return of the Patch
Max Pacioretty has been back to Montreal since he left but it is sure to still be an emotional night for the All-Star.
After all, Pacioretty wore the coveted “C” on that famous Canadiens jersey for three seasons, while he recorded 448 points (226 goals, 222 assists) in 626 regular season games for Montreal.
So, there is no doubt that today’s game will hold extra special meaning for Pacioretty, who leads the Vegas Golden Knights in points with 46 (20 goals, 26 assists) through 50 games.
Storyline 4 – Red Hot Tatar
Tomas Tatar‘s time in Vegas was brief, and it was hardly laden with success given that he registered just six points (four goals, two assists) in 20 regular season games before being a non-factor in the playoffs.
However, Tatar has really found his game in Montreal and the forward has truly exploded into life this year.
Through 49 games, the wing leads the Canadiens in points with 43 (17 goals, 26 assists), with 11 points coming on the power play.
Tatar is a scorer while he can create goals and he will pose a huge threat to the Golden Knights throughout today’s contest.
Storyline 5 – Revenge of the Chuk
Speaking of players in a rich vein of form, what a turnaround this has been for Russian sniper Ilya Kovalchuk.
Following what was a disastrous and unsuccessful stint with the LA Kings, Kovalchuk was effectively given a prove-it deal by the Montreal Canadiens.
Boy, is the veteran doing just that.
Through seven games, Kovalchuk has seven points (three goals, four assists) and he has been a revelation.
Although now 36-years-old, the forward can still produce offense and the Golden Knights will have to try and put the shackles on him tonight.
Storyline 6 – Plenty on the line
This is a big game for both teams with plenty on the line as we rapidly approach the Trade Deadline.
For the Vegas Golden Knights, tonight presents the opportunity to win consecutive games while continuing to establish an identity under new Head Coach Peter DeBoer.
For the Montreal Canadiens, the pressure is firmly on one of the most prestigious franchises in all of major sports, and they need to determine whether they will be buyers or sellers at the Trade Deadline.
As such, both teams will need to get off to a fast start tonight and look to land the first blow in what should be a mouthwatering contest.