The Montreal Canadiens wrap up their two-game mini series on Monday night and will be looking to leave Edmonton with a sweep. The Canadiens played an almost flawless game on Saturday night, defeating the Oilers 5-1 in a game that was dominated start to finish.
Claude Julien kept his lines intact with one notable change in the starting goaltender. He opted to start backstop Jake Allen, making his Canadiens debut at Rogers Place in game two.
“It’s part of the plan, not just a plan of getting him some work, but also sharing the net this year with Carey. We know Carey will play more games, again hoping that everybody stays healthy, that he would play more games than Jake. I think we all know that, but at the same time, we want to make sure that throughout the whole season, he has his fair share of work, that he helps us win some games as well and helps give Carey a rest at the same time,” Julien explained. “If we can have both goaltenders sharp and fresh on most nights, it’s going to be to our advantage.”
Head coach Claude Julien on Monday night’s situation
The Oilers did a good job last week, as the Oilers rebounded from an opening loss. The Canadiens will have to remain focused, stick to the game plan and not get too high in themselves.
Here are my keys to the game for the Montreal to leave Alberta with four points in two games:
Keep The Offence Going
Montreal has scored nine goals in two games, which is a breath of fresh air considering this team used to lack a lot as it pertained to the scoring department. The good news is that with all the new additions to the offence, even if one player doesn’t have an amazing game, they can count on the rest of the gang to pick up the slack.
Tomas Tatar and Jeff Petry provided the offence on Saturday, each scoring two goals each, and honestly, I see this team as a high powered offensive powerhouse that will score a large number of goals this season.
Stay Disciplined
Once again, special teams will have to be up to par. We all know the power play has improved, but we saw in the first game against Toronto that Montreal’s penalty kill still needs a lot of work.
Again, facing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the defence will have to stay on their toes, not their heels. They did a good job of shutting them down in game one, but we all witnessed how they both responded in the second game against Vancouver.
Pressure The Defence
The Edmonton Oilers seem to be weak on the backend and in net, so again, doing like they did in the first game, being solid on the forecheck and putting tons of pressure on the Oilers defence is all going to be vital to secure the victory. Mikko Koskinen didn’t have a good game on Saturday, and again, getting lots of pucks and shots on net due to the fact that he gives up a lot of rebounds, will be the main factor leading to goals.
In the second of a doubleheader, puck drop at Rogers Place is scheduled to fall at 9:00pmET. The game is available for viewing on TSN2 for those based in Canadiens region and on Sportsnet West for those based in the Oilers region. As well, the game can be heard on TSN 690 Montreal and 630 CHED.
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