Game-day Preview #37: Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators

After an extended break due to Covid-19 complications within the Canadiens organization, the Senators return fresh and ready to roll

After a few players from the Montreal Canadiens were added to the Covid-19 protocol list they had to suffer through a 10 day stretch with no games as the whole situation was followed with the utmost caution.

The Canadiens earned a dominant 4-0 win after their extended break versus the high-flying Edmonton Oilers and are looking to keep maintain their standing at 4th in the North Division, while the Senators will look to continue to play spoiler.

Player to Watch: Josh Norris

One of the Senators hottest players as of late, Norris has started to find his scoring touch that allowed him to win the AHL’s rookie of the year in 2020 with 31 goals, now with 3 goals in his last 5 contests he’s starting to beat goalies clean.

The most impressive part of Norris’ game doesn’t may not even be his impressive offensive production (18 points in 36 games), his play away from the puck may be even better. His two-way game has garnered some attention throughout the media, and rightfully so:

He’s been one of the better defensive forwards in the whole NHL and for a rookie that’s quite rare, as that’s usually the biggest adjustment coming into the professional ranks. Norris has also been used quite regularly in late-game situations in the face-off circle, as his success rate this season is 53.7%. It appears D.J. Smith is liking what he’s seeing from the 21-year-old, as he awarded him with a season-high 20:10 of ice-time in their last game.

News & Notes

• Jacob Bernard-Docker signed his Entry-Level Contract with the team today and is expected to join the team after a mandatory seven-day quarantine

• D.J. Smith stated the team will remain with the same lineup as their previous game:

Starting Goalies

Filip Gustavsson

2020-21 Season Stats: 3 GP, 2-0-1, 0.973 SV%, 0.86 GAA

Gustavsson has been spectacular in his first two NHL starts, stopping 35/36  and 28/29 shots in back to back games versus the Calgary Flames, at just 22-years-old, Gustavsson is appearing to finally break out with the organization.

Jake Allen

2020-21 Season Stats: 11 GP, 4-3-4, 0.920 SV%, 2.34 GAA

Allen gets his first start since March 19th tonight after Carey Price shutout the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. The former St. Louis Blue has added stability behind Price that the team has been lacking for the past couple of years.