2. New Jersey continues a three-game homestand when the Habs visit on Saturday. Last time out, the Devils suffered their third loss in four games against their cross-river rivals, the New York Rangers. Jersey outshot New York 40-18 but didn’t hit the back of the net until 58 minutes into the contest in a 5-1 defeat. Jack Hughes was the lone scorer for the for the home side, earning his sixth point in as many games.
The Devils’ power play is running on low fuel of late, clicking at a 5.9 per cent rate in its past 10 games. Why so surprising, you ask? Because Lindy Ruff’s units ran the NHL’s best power play from the beginning of the season through Dec. 22, before surrendering the top spot to the Rangers. Today, they rank 15th in the League at a 22 per cent efficiency rate.
3. Saturday’s early-afternoon game at Prudential Center is the NHL Europe’s Game of the Week. The Canadiens-Devils matchup is expected to feature a combined 13 Europeans: Joel Armia (Finland), Jesper Bratt (Sweden), Nico Daws (born in Germany), Erik Haula (Finland), Nico Hischier (Switzerland), Alexander Holtz (Sweden), Timo Meier (Switzerland), Simon Nemec (Slovakia), Tomas Nosek (Czechia), Ondrej Palat (Czechia), Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland), Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia), Jesse Ylönen (represents Finland).
Last time the Canadiens played in primetime in Europe (Feb. 11 vs. St. Louis), Armia and Slafkovsky each registered a point.
4. News flash: The Canadiens claimed Colin White off waivers from the Penguins on Thursday. The move adds depth to Montreal’s roster – on and off the ice – bolstering the team’s strength down the middle and introducing a veteran presence in the locker room. White, in his eighth year in the NHL, played 11:11 in his Canadiens debut against the Pens, who so happen to be his former team. The 27-year-old centered Tanner Pearson and Ylönen, a line Martin St-Louis says provided the team with “good minutes.”
Today’s lineup will be known closer to game time.
5. Puck drop is 2:00 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on TSN2 and RDS, or listen on TSN 690 and 98.5 fm.
