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| MONTREAL CANADIENS | ||
3-2-1 (7 pts; .583%)
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7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26 BELL CENTRE MONTREAL, QB, CAN |
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TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market) |
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| ODDS & PROJECTIONS: | ||
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| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 40% | ||
| TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +100 | ||
The Columbus Blue Jackets were just a few minutes away from a three-game win streak and a 4-2-0 start to the season.
Instead, the Anaheim Ducks scored in the final minutes of regulation Tuesday night at Nationwide and then won the game in overtime, sending Columbus' streak without three straight wins to 108 games.
Thursday, Adam Fantilli and company will look to start a new win streak when they head north of the border for the first time this season to do battle with the Montreal Canadiens.
Here's what to know when the puck drops from the Bell Centre:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | MTL |
|---|---|---|
| 2.83 | GOALS FOR | 3.00 |
| 3.17 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.33 |
| -0.34 | GOAL DIFFERENTIAL | -0.33 |
| 14.3% | POWER PLAY | 16.7% |
| 85.0% | PENALTY KILL | 75.8% |
| 32.8 | SHOTS FOR | 28.7 |
| 33.2 | SHOTS AGAINST | 35.2 |
| 47.6% | 5V5 CF | 47.5% |
| 48.5% | FACE-OFF | 54.2% |
| MONTREAL'S LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| TUE, 10/24 | vs. Devils | L, 5-2 |
| MON, 10/23 | @ Sabres | W, 3-1 |
| SAT, 10/21 | vs. Capitals | OTW, 3-2 |
| MONTREAL TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | (Several) | 3 |
| ASSISTS | (Several) | 3 |
| POINTS | Cole Caulfield | 6 |
TALKING POINTS: MTL
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Montreal is off to a 3-2-1 start on the season, but each of their three wins have come against teams with a losing record. Their three losses, meanwhile, have come against teams with a winning record. The sample size is small this early in the season, of course, but it's consistent.
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History tells us that fatigue can be a factor in the NHL, and Thursday's game will be 4th game in six nights for the Canadiens. Especially this early in the season, the Blue Jackets would be wise to try and get a quick jump on the competition.
- This could be the breakout year for 23-year-old Cole Caufield. The 15th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft has three goals and three assists for six points in his first six games.
TALKING POINTS: CBJ
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Thursday will mark the debut of Dmitri Voronkov with the Blue Jackets. With Patrik Laine still out, the team announced Wednesday that Voronkov will be in the lineup against Montreal. He'll be easy to spot: the 23-year-old is 6'5" and 240lbs.
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Adam Fantilli had his first multi-point game in his (very) young NHL career against the Ducks, one game after scoring his first NHL goal. He's doing little things each game to show that he is the real deal. Keep a close eye on him Thursday.
- It's early, it's early, it's early — but the Blue Jackets have an 85% penalty kill through six games. For a team that finished with a franchise-low 75.1% kill rate last season, this is a big step in the right direction.
Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 38 | Boone Jenner | 96 | Jack Roslovic |
| 42 | Alexandre Texier | 11 | Adam Fantilli | 52 | Emil Bemstrom |
| 86 | Kirill Marchenko | 4 | Cole Sillinger | 17 | Justin Danforth |
| 10 | Dmitri Voronkov | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 55 | David Jiricek |
| 22 | Jake Bean | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 70 | Spencer Martin |
