CANADIENS AT RED WINGS
The No. 1 overall Canadiens hit the road to play struggling Atlantic Division rival Detroit Saturday (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio). Here are five things you should know about the Red Wings matchup in Motown, writes Pat Hickey.
1. Hard travellin’
The Canadiens have the best record in the NHL at 15-4-2 and are an impressive 12-1-1 at the Bell Centre. But the Canadiens have to prove they can win on the road, where they have a 3-3-1 record. This will be the first of five consecutive road games with other stops in Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
2. Price is the man
With at least one day off between games, Carey Price could play every game on this trip. He has a 1-0 record against the Red Wings this season after making 25 saves in a 5-0 victory at the Bell Centre on Nov. 12. That brought his career record against the Red Wings to 9-3-1. This season, Price has a 12-1-1 record with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.
3. Turnaround for Max?
Captain Max Pacioretty scored the winning goal in the Canadiens’ 2-1 win over Carolina Thursday night. It was his fifth goal and his first winner. The line of Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher has been getting chances in recent games and coach Michel Therrien is hoping Pacioretty’s goal is a breakthrough.
4. Back-to-back for Detroit
The Red Wings could be a tad tired because they played in New Jersey Friday night. Detroit hasn’t missed the playoffs since 1990, but the Wings are off to a rocky start. Going into the New Jersey game Friday, they had a 9-10-1 record and were 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. One bit of good news, Thomas Vanek is back after missing 11 games with a hip injury.
5. Beaulieu stays home
Nathan Beaulieu, who was hit in the throat by a puck Tuesday, wasn’t on the team charter Friday but could join the team next week. Ditto for defenceman Zach Redmond. He has recovered from a broken foot, but he hasn’t played a game since preseason and he’ll join the St. John’s IceCaps for two games on the weekend. Charles Hudon is out with an upper-body injury.