Game Preview: Blue Jackets, Canadiens Meet For Second Straight Week As Columbus Continues Homestand

MONTREAL CANADIENS

9–9–1 (19 points; .500%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE

7:00 P.M. – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH

BALLY SPORTS OHIO ESPN+ (Out of Market)

One night before Thanksgiving, the Columbus Blue Jackets will get their fill of the Montreal Canadiens when the two teams face off at Nationwide Arena for the second time in less than a week.

The Blue Jackets won Thursday's meeting by a 6-4 score in a game that saw Columbus score four goals in a span of 11:11 in the third period. Despite four Montreal scores, the game also featured a sharp performance from goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. He made 38 saves and stopped four of five high-danger chances and stopped all nine medium-danger shots. 

Here's what to know for Columbus' fifth game of a season long six-game homestand:

TALKING POINTS: MTL

• Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis can't be happy with his team's performance Tuesday. Montreal lost 7-2 at home to the below-average Buffalo Sabres, and the game was 3-0 in the first 133 seconds of the game. They did cut into the lead to make it 4-2 after the second period before allowing three goals in the final frame.
   
• Jake Allen was in for the duration of the blowout, allowing seven goals on 38 shots. In 366 career games, it was the first time the 32-year-old Allen had allowed seven (or more) goals in a game.
   
• There is no official word as of early Wednesday, but it would be a significant surprise if Allen is in net for Montreal again Wednesday. That would mean, for the fifth time this calendar year, the Blue Jackets would see Sam Montembeault in the opposition's net. Columbus is 4-0-0 in games against Montembeault (3-0-0 in games hes started), and the 26-year-old has an .861 save percentage in those games. His worst start of the batch — five goals on 28 shots — was in last week's game. 
   
• Cole Caulfield scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season in Montreal's loss Tuesday. His 77 shots on goal this season is a remarkable 67% more than any other skater on the Canadiens. In other words, be prepared for him to shoot. Be equally alert of Nick Suzuki, though, who has just one less goal (11) in almost half (42) of the shots on net.