AVALANCHE AT CANADIENS
After enjoying an unscheduled day off, the Canadiens, 18-6-3, take on the Colorado Avalanche, 10-14-1, on Saturday (7 p.m., SN360, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio). Here are five things you should know about the game, writes
1 Picking up the slack
With Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais sidelined by injuries, it’s difficult to determine which line is which, and some unheralded players are being asked to pick up the slack. Torrey Mitchell scored twice and Philip Danault added a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Devils. You might recall that they started the season on the fourth line.
2 New role for Price
Carey Price leads the NHL with 15 wins, is fifth in goals-against average (1.83) and third in save percentage (.940). And with his double-minor for beating New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri upside the head, he’s tied for third in penalty minutes for goaltenders with four. He has a long way to go before catching Vancouver’s Ryan Miller, who has 22 minutes, including a major for fighting Toronto’s Matt Martin.
3 Good debut for Redmond
Zach Redmond played his first game in a Canadiens uniform and turned in a strong performance as his ice time increased with each period. He picked up an assist and was plus-2 with four hits and three blocked shots.
4 Not Patrick’s team
Patrick Roy walked away from the Avalanche coaching job during the summer because he wasn’t happy with Joe Sakic’s personnel moves. Roy reportedly wanted to sign Alexander Radulov, who is the Canadiens’ No. 2 point producer behind Galchenyuk. Roy didn’t think the Avalanche had improved during the off-season and he was right. Colorado is in the basement of the Central Division.
5 Foes to watch
Former QMJHL star Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with seven goals and 11 assists. He has one more point than Matt Duchene, who has a team-leading 10 goals. The Canadiens lost defenceman François Beauchemin to waivers in 2004 after he played only one game with Montreal. He now has 780 NHL games on his resumé and he’s the only Colorado regular on the right side of the plus/minus ratings.