TEAM COMPARISONS
Back on track. Montreal claimed a crucial two points in Vancouver on the strength of their top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky, who combined for three goals, seven points and a plus-10 rating in a 4-2 victory on Tuesday.
Now, the Canadiens shift their focus to Seattle, where a win against the Kraken would pull them level with Columbus for the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot—though the Blue Jackets would hold the tiebreaker in games played. That isn’t exactly on Martin St-Louis’ mind right now, though. As cliché as it sounds, the Habs are sticking to a “one day at a time” mind set, and the next challenge awaits at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday.
The Kraken are trending toward missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season and third time in their four-year history. Losing their captain Jordan Eberle (who’s since returned) for three months in mid-November put Seattle behind the eight ball early, and they haven’t been able to recover since. Special teams have been areas of weakness, with the Kraken ranking 26th in the NHL on the power play and 20th on the penalty kill—numbers that drop even further to 27th and 25th, respectively, on home ice.
Despite their struggles, Montreal knows firsthand the danger Seattle poses. Dan Bylsma’s side dominated the teams’ October matchup, and the Habs will be looking to even the score as they close out their road trip at Climate Pledge Arena.
SEASON SERIES
Oct. 29 vs. SEA: 8-2 SEA
Mar. 12 @ SEA:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Fresh off a three-point performance less than 24 hours ago, Juraj Slafkovsky eyes his 100th career point in Seattle. The 20-year-old has posted 36-62—98 totals in 182 NHL games thus far.
Brandon Montour torched the Canadiens in their only other meeting this season, netting a hat trick at the Bell Centre on October 29. Now ranked sixth among NHL defenseman with 13 goals this year, the Habs will look to neutralize the blue liner’s offensive impact on Wednesday.
BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-KRAKEN
Here’s how the Canadiens and Kraken match up by the numbers:
