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Canadiens vs. Blues: Game preview and how to watch

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Game 52: Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues

Start time: **1:00 PM EST / 10:00 AM PST***
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Blues region: Bally Sports Midwest
Streaming: ESPN+, TSN+, RDS

Just as the Montreal Canadiens were beginning to get healthy, with only Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak being members of the opening-night roster sitting out, the team was dealt another blow. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was unable to play the second half of yesterday’s game after a collision with Joel Armia in the neutral zone.

That has led to the recall of Joshua Roy for a second stint in the NHL. Roy got used to playing with Sean Monahan in his first stretch and now it’s likely going to be Alex Newhook, the player who most recently came back from injury and stepped right into Monahan’s old role in the lineup and on the power play, whom the rookie forward gets placed alongside.

Newhook has looked good since returning, showing no loss of speed after dealing with a high-ankle sprain, though he was just one of the non-top-line forwards who are got outchanced in the game. It could be that a partnership between him and a poised Roy will provide the Habs with another stable trio.

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Canadiens Statistics Blues
21-22-8 Record 27-21-2
44.3% (30th) Scoring-chances-for % 46.0% (27th)
2.73 (28th) Goals per game 2.84 (26th)
3.45 (27th) Goals against per game 3.06 (16th)
19.8% (19th) PP% 15.7% (24th)
74.9% (28th) PK% 78.8% (21st)
0-1-0 Head-to-Head Record 1-0-0

Montreal will need some other options playing well because today’s opponent, the St. Louis Blues is no easier than the Dallas Stars were yesterday. St. Louis won five of the final six games heading into the All-Star break, with the win streak only broken up by an Elvis Merzlikins shutout in a 1-0 loss on January 30. The Blues got back to their winning ways yesterday versus the Buffalo Sabres, continuing a run that has propelled them up into a wild-card spot in the Westerns Conference.

With their offensive numbers not looking a whole lot different from Montreal’s, it’s the Blues’ defensive play that serves as the reason why they sit in a playoff spot and Montreal doesn’t. It’s not an elite team by any means, but their play in their own end allows them to get points on nights when they score fewer than three goals. They have 13 points when that happens; Montreal has four.

The Blues have recorded at least three goals in each win during this current run, however, so if Montreal wants to keep pace, their special teams will need to be strong once again. They looked good on not only the power play but the penalty kill as well versus the Stars with an aggressive approach looking for goals and not just running out the two minutes. Special teams aren’t a strength of the Blues, so that’s a battle the Habs can win.

Jake Allen will be tasked with dampening the Blues’ output. After a rough stretch, he hasn’t allowed more than three goals in his last three outings and has helped the Canadiens earn three points in that time. He may not have many games left with Montreal with the trade deadline approaching, and he can improve his chances of going to a new Stanley Cup contender with another good performance versus the team he won a championship with in 2019.

 

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Jays reliever Green and Canadian slugger O’Neill nominated for comeback player award

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NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.

The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.

Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.

The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.

O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.

After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Panthers’ Reinhart named NHL first star after posting nine points over four games

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NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.

Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.

New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.

Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.

Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s season ended by ruptured Achilles tendon, team said he’ll have surgery

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.

He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.

Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.

The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”

Watson was injured on a noncontact play in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals and carted off the field in tears.

It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.

The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.

He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.

As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.

Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.

The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.

“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.

“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”

Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.

“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.

“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”

The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.

Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.

With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.

The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.

But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.

Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.

Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.

Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.

Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.

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