Habs hope to keep offence firing as Kings come to town
After an 0-3 west coast road trip, the Canadiens got back on the winning track Tuesday. Pat Hickey offers five things to know as the Los Angeles Kings visit the Bell Centre Thursday (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).
1 Something to build on
The Canadiens are hoping their 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers is a sign of better things to come after a seven-game winless streak. The biggest positive to come out of the win was a solid performance from Carey Price who made 26 saves, including two big stops on Aleksander Barkov in the first four minutes. Also encouraging was the seasonhigh five goals, including two on the power play. The Canadiens are tied for 26th on the power play with a success rate of 13.9 per cent. They are 30th in goals scored with 1.89 a game, just ahead of Edmonton at 1.88.
2 Rite of passage
Rookie defenceman Victor Mete will play his 10th NHL game and that means that the first year of his three-year entry level contract kicks in. The 19-year-old can still be returned to the OHL’s London Knights, but general manager Marc Bergevin said he’ll remain in Montreal as long as he’s playing well. Mete has been on the top defence pair with Shea Weber and has two assists. Mete has been living in a hotel near the Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard, but will be looking for a more permanent home. He said he has family in the area and his mother may move from Toronto.
3 Gallagher’s back
Bergevin said Wednesday the Canadiens are suffering from a lack of confidence, but that description doesn’t apply to the hard-working Brendan Gallagher. Last season, Gallagher was snake-bit even before he broke his hand for the second time in two seasons, and he produced a career-low 10 goals. This time around, Gallagher is tied with Weber for the team lead with three goals. “I feel healthier,” Gallagher said. “There were a lot of little things that were bugging me, but confidence-wise, I’m feeling good. I’m skating well and I’m feeling more powerful with the puck, but mostly I’ve put last year behind me.”
4 Change paying off
After missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, the Los Angeles Kings dumped head coach Darryl Sutter and replaced him with associate coach John Stevens. The move seems to be paying off because the Kings have jumped to a 7-1-1 record and are leading the Western Conference. This is the fourth game in a six-game road trip for the Kings. They started the trip Saturday with a 6-4 win over the Blue Jackets. They suffered their first loss Monday, losing 3-2 in Toronto, but they rebounded Tuesday when Adrian Kempe, 21, scored the tying goal and the shootout winner in a 3-2 win over Ottawa.
5 Kempe watch
The Canadiens will be keeping a close eye on Kempe because he was a one-man wrecking crew last Wednesday when the Kings crushed the Canadiens 5-1 in Los Angeles. The second-year player from Sweden had his first NHL hat trick. Former Canadien Michael Cammalleri had the other two L.A. goals in that game and also assisted on two of Kempe’s markers. Jonathan Quick made 36 saves, but his status is up in the air. He took a stick to the head in Toronto and was briefly examined for a possible concussion. He returned to the game, but did not dress in Ottawa.