Fresh And Rested Canadiens Take On Tired Maple Leafs

The Montreal Canadiens suffered a fifth defeat in a row on Thursday night at the hands of the New Jersey Devils and were then given a day off yesterday as they traveled to Toronto. Tonight, at the Scotiabank Arena, they'll be taking on a Toronto Maple Leafs side that played last night against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Canadiens will be hoping to gain an advantage through the extra rest, and that they'll get some puck luck to finally start righting the ship. If they truly wish to do so however, they'll need to help themselves a bit starting with a strong solid first period in which they do not concede the first goal.

The last time the two teams met what on the Canadiens' season opener on Oct. 9 and Samuel Montembeault stood on his head to record a 1-0 and 48 saves shutout. It's been all downhill from there though and the Canadiens have lost nine of their last 11 games.

Related: 3 Takeaways From Canadiens Thrilling 1-0 Win Over Maple Leafs

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs, who didn't have the best start to their season either have gotten back on the right path and sit second in the Atlantic division, just behind the Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers.

Everything isn't perfect in Toronto however, newly minted captain Auston Matthews is currently dealing with an upper-body ailment, has missed the last two games and been ruled out for the weekend. In the meantime, former Canadiens Max Domi has been skating as the top line's center between Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner.

Speaking of Marner, after yet another first round exit at the hands of the Boston Bruins last season, the Toronto front-office said they were considering any and all options to help this team get to the next level, including splitting up its Core Four. As Marner is in a contract year, many believed he would be the one to go, but lo-and-behold, he's still there.

Right now, he has a seven-game point streak going, recording 11 points in that span. So far this season he has 18 points in 15 games and leads the team. Former captain John Tavares currently sits third in points with 13 in 14 games behind William Nylander who has 16 in 15 games and is in a three-game point streak.

The Leafs' big guns like playing against the Canadiens. Marner has 34 points in 35 games, Tavares 50 points in 57 games and Nylander stands on 28 points in 33 games. As for their top defenseman, Morgan Rielly has 26 points in 47 games.

In net, Anthony Stolarz, who backed up Sergei Bobrovsky with the Florida Panthers last season, has taken over as the team's number one playing 10 games so far this year. However, he was in net yesterday, meaning the Canadiens should be taking on Joseph Woll tonight. In his young career, Woll has only taken on the Habs once and won the game, posting a 1.01 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage. Stolarz also has good numbers against Montreal with a 3-2-0 record, a 2.78 GAA and a .910 SP.

For the Canadiens, Montembeault has the better record against Toronto with a 3-4-0 record, a 3.50 GAA and a .907 while Cayden Primeau is 0-1-0, with a 4.83 GAA and a .907 SP. The former has been on duty for the last three games, losing them all, but one has to wonder if throwing Primeau to the wolves in Toronto would be a good move.

Up front, two Montreal players have got points streaks; Jake Evans has two assists in as many games and Brendan Gallagher has two goals in the same span. Cole Caufield who hasn't been on the scoresheet in the last three games has 13 points in 13 games against the Leafs, including 10 goals, a game in Toronto might be just what the doctor ordered. As for his center, captain Nick Suzuki has 21 points in 25 games,

Tonight will be the 770th game between the two sides and Montreal has got a 367-301-88-13 record overall, but in Toronto, its record stands at 139-193-45-6 meaning the Canadiens don't generally fare well in town. While the Habs won the last game, the Leafs have won six of the last 10 meetings, and Montreal's last win as visitors in the regular season dates back to before the pandemic.

Former captain Shea Weber is in Toronto for his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame this weekend, could his presence fuel the Canadiens somehow? Chances are he met the players and tried to inspire them as well as he could, but will that be sufficient?

Related: Former Canadiens Captain Induction Podcast

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