Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens
Toronto looked pretty poor in their first game back off the break with several mental mistakes costing them goals and eventually a point in the standings. Of all the players that caught flack coming home from the Toronto media, Phil Kessel got the most and he looked pretty good in his first game back. The rest of his teammates… not so much. This is a Saturday night game in Montreal, though, so I expect a much better game out of this team, particularly on the blue line. Also, from a purely observational standpoint, Coach Randy Carlyle seemed to have a pretty short leash for his second power play unit so I’m not sure how much value guys like Nazem Kadri really have.
Montreal looked awful in their first game back off the break, a 2-1 loss to Detroit in overtime where the score was definitely not indicative for how poorly the Habs played. They played better in their second game and got a 6-5 shootout win out of it. They will still be without goaltender Carey Price though as he tweaked his lower body in his first practice back and will still be out of the lineup. Peter Budaj has been excellent in his stead this year, however, so for a few games it’s bearable.
This is a pretty big game for both teams. A regulation win one way or the other would go a long way in cementing playoff status for either team. Both teams know this and I think it leads to a fast-paced and high-scoring game. I will not be taking either goaltender tonight but will most definitely be picking away at their respective power plays in different lineups.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
(MTL) $8536 |
James van Riemsdyk |
Nazem Kadri |
(MTL) $7442 |
David Clarkson $3840 |
