The Montreal Canadiens are set to play their second game of the season this Saturday night as they travel to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams have only played once so far, and since the Penguins also played an away game, this will serve as their home opener. Expect a louder atmosphere compared to the relatively quiet reception for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena earlier in the week.
Last season, Montreal and Pittsburgh faced off three times in December, with the Canadiens winning two of those encounters. Their only defeat was in a shootout on December 21. Across the season, the Canadiens outscored the Penguins 11-5 and are likely eager to improve that margin. Despite that, the Penguins have dominated recent matchups, winning seven of their last ten meetings since March 2023. However, the Canadiens have made significant progress since then.
The Penguins added several new players this offseason, including Nicholas Robertson, Andrei Kuzmenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Declan Carlile, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, and Kaeden Korczak. Like Montreal, Pittsburgh won their first game of the season in a commanding fashion, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0.
Goalie arrangements haven’t been officially announced, but it’s expected that Jakub Dobes will be in net again after a solid debut. Dobes has previously faced the Penguins once, in a 4-3 shootout loss last season, and holds a 2.77 GAA with a .903 save percentage in his career. Samuel Montembeault has faced the Penguins seven times, recording a 2-3-1 record with a 3.72 GAA and an .880 save percentage. On the Penguins’ side, Arturs Silovs was the goalie for their recent shutout victory and has faced the Canadiens once before—winning that game with a GAA of 2.77. Sergei Murashov, with limited NHL experience, has not faced Montreal yet.
Up front, it remains uncertain whether Oliver Kapanen will return to the Canadiens lineup. Given that the Penguins’ style isn’t highly physical, Florian Xhekaj might remain sidelined. For the Canadiens’ attack, Chris Kreider has scored 38 points in 47 games against Pittsburgh, making him their top scorer in these matchups, with Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson also contributing. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby is the most effective scorer for the Penguins against Montreal, accumulating 72 points in 55 games, followed by Evgeny Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet in English and TVA Sports in French. Officials for the game include Trevor Hanson and Liam Maaskant, with David Brisebois and Jesse Marquis as linesmen. The question remains: which team will start the season undefeated? Will the Canadiens carry their momentum into their home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes next Tuesday? Only time will tell.
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Fan Take: This game is crucial because it could set the tone for Montreal’s season and reflect their growing strength. For hockey fans, it’s a chance to see whether the Canadiens can sustain success early on and challenge the established contenders in the league.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
