SUNRISE | Historically, the Canadian has never had success against the Panthers at Sunrise. The CH will seek to reverse the trend in order to avoid a second setback since the return from the Christmas break.
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The newspaper gives you five things to watch out for.
1 – Still without Kovacevic
Martin St-Louis will opt for the same formation as in the last game against the Hurricanes in Raleigh. Johnathan Kovacevic will therefore watch a second match in a row from the press bridge. Gustav Lindström will also be left out. In the case of the Swede, it will be an eighth match in a row where he is not in uniform.
2 – Gallagher in the middle of a drought
Brendan Gallagher has not scored in his last 20 games, since November 11. This lethargy goes unnoticed compared to that of Josh Anderson at the start of the season. Anderson had waited until the 24the match before getting a first goal. He hit the target in an empty net against the Seattle Kraken.
Since mid-December, Anderson has regained his confidence with five goals in his last five games. Only Nick Suzuki (10), Sean Monahan (9), Alex Newhook (7) and Cole Caufield (8) have more goals than number 17 (6). This statistic remains a good indicator of the low production of the Canadian forwards.
3 – A departure for Allen
After Cayden Primeau in Raleigh, North Carolina, Jake Allen will have the mission of defending the Habs net. Allen recorded a 3-2 overtime victory against the Jets in Winnipeg in his last start on December 18. Before that, he had lost seven games in a row (0-6-1).
Across the NHL, several teams are looking for a reliable goaltender. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers, to identify that these three teams, have holes at this key position. A good outing from Allen against one of the powers of the circuit could generate a bit of interest.
4 – Barkov on a roll
Aleksander Barkov is always good. But he is even better against the Canadian with 43 points (23 goals, 20 assists) in 32 games. The captain of the Panthers also finds himself at the heart of a very good sequence with two games in a row of three assists. He achieved this feat against two good teams: the Lightning and the Rangers. Barkov added another mark in the Panthers’ record books by catching Jonathan Huberdeau at the franchise’s all-time high with 415 assists.
Getty Images via AFP
In 32 games this season, the Finn wrote his name on the scoresheet 38 times (11 goals, 27 assists). Sam Reinhart sits atop his team with 44 points.
5 – The misery of Sunrise
If the past is any guide to the future, CH will experience another difficult match against the Panthers. The Canadian has lost its last seven meetings at Amerant Bank Arena, formerly known as the BB&T Center. Last year, the Martin St-Louis team suffered losses of 7 to 2 (December 29, 2022) and 9 to 5 (March 16, 2023). We have to go back to December 28, 2018 to count the last victory of the Habs at Sunrise. Tomas Tatar scored twice in a 5-3 win.
The probable formation of the Canadian
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Monahan-Evans-Anderson
Armia-Dvorak-Gallagher
Pezzetta-Stephens-Ylönen
Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Struble Harris
Allen