MONTREAL CANADIENS NOTES:
À SURVEILLER CE SOIR / KEEP AN EYE ON…
– Les Canadiens et les Blue Jackets s’affrontent ce soir pour la 40e fois en saison régulière. Ces deux clubs ne se sont jamais affrontés en séries.
– The Canadiens and Blue Jackets are facing each other for the 40th time in regular season. Those two opponents have never faced each other in the playoffs.
10 DERNIERS MATCHS CONTRE COLUMBUS / LAST 10 GAMES VS. COLUMBUS:
26/10/23 – CBJ 3 @ MTL 4 (P/OT)
25/03/23 – CBJ 2 @ MTL 8
23/11/22 – MTL 3 @ CBJ 1
17/11/22 – MTL 4 @ CBJ 6
13/04/22 – MTL 1 @ CBJ 5
12/02/22 – CBJ 2 @ MTL 1
30/01/22 – CBJ 6 @ MTL 3
19/11/19 – MTL 2 @ CBJ 5
12/11/19 – CBJ 2 @ MTL 3 (TB/SO)
28/03/19 – MTL 2 @ CBJ 6
MEILLEURS BUTEURS CONTRE COLUMBUS / LEADING GOAL SCORERS VS. COLUMBUS:
1) Sean Monahan (8-5-13, 17 pj/gp)
2) Brendan Gallagher (7-8-15, 26 pj/gp)
3) Nick Suzuki (4-10-14, 10 pj/gp)
MEILLEURS POINTEURS CONTRE COLUMBUS / LEADING SCORERS VS. COLUMBUS:
1) Brendan Gallagher (7-8-15, 26 pj/gp)
2) Nick Suzuki (4-10-14, 10 pj/gp)
3) Sean Monahan (8-5-13, 17 pj/gp)
MENEURS MINUTES DE PÉNALITÉ CONTRE COLUMBUS / MOST PENALTY MINUTES VS. COLUMBUS:
1) Brendan Gallagher (18, 26 pj/gp)
2) Arber Xhekaj (12, 3 pj/gp)
3) Mike Matheson (12, 18 pj/gp)
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS NOTES:
OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT
Tarasov (knee); Placed on Injured/Non-Roster (Oct. 9); Week-to-Week (23 Games)
Roslovic (fractured ankle); Placed on Injured/Non-Roster (Nov. 13); 4-6 weeks (8 games) Severson (oblique); Injured on Nov. 19; 6 weeks (4 games)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 56
AGAINST THE CANADIENS
2023-24 Series: 0-0-1 (0-0-0 vs. MTL)
2022-23 Series: 1-2-0 (1-1-0 vs. MTL)
All-Time Series: 20-14-1-4 (10-6-0-1 vs. MTL)
Last 10 (Overall | Home): 6-2-2 | 8-2-0
All-Time GF/GA: 112/96
All-Time SF/SA: 1,137/1,181
All-Time PP: 23-of-132
All-Time PK: 114-of-136
THE LAST GAME VS. MTL: OCT. 26, 2023 – CBJ 3 at MTL 4 (OT)
CBJ Goal Scorers: Roslovic (2), PP – Bemstrom (2), PP – Bemstrom (3)
MTL Goal Scorers: Suzuki (1), PP – Matheson (2), PP – Monahan (3), OT – Caufield (4)
Goalies: CBJ – Merzlikins (25/29; 64:17); MTL – Montembeault (33/36; 64:17)
CBJ PP: 2/4; PK: 3/5 | Shots: CBJ: 36 / MTL: 29
Noteworthy: CBJ led 2-0 after the 1st and 3-2 after the 2nd but MTL scored 7:48 into the 3rd to tie the game and then again with 43 seconds left in overtime to win… Voronkov notched his 1st career point (assist) in his NHL debut… Provorov registered his team-leading 6th assist of the campaign, setting a new career high with assists in 4-straight games (0-4-4)… Roslovic registered his 10th career effort of at least 3 points (1-2-3)… Bemstrom scored 2 PPG, notching his 2nd career multi-goal game.
NOTED (Team Highlights vs. MTL)
CBJ have won season series in 5 of last 7 campaigns clubs played… CBJ have points in 9 of the last 11 games in the series dating back to 3/28/19 (7-2-2) and points in 16 of last 21 games since 1/25/16 (13-5-3).… CBJ have won 8 of the past 10 contests played at NWA, outscoring MTL 46-21 since 1/25/16…Winning team has recorded 3+ goals in 14 of the last 15 games and 4+ in 7 of the last 9… Winning team has won by multiple goals in each of the past 7 contests played at NWA and 10 of the last 11 dating back to 2/26/15… Teams have combined for 7+ goals in 3 of the past 4 meetings… CBJ have killed off 33-of-38 MTL power play attempts over the last 14 meetings since 3/12/18 (86.8 pct.)… CBJ owns 4 of 5 shutouts… Each team has recorded a hat trick in the series with Atkinson netting 3 in a 5-2 CBJ win at Columbus on 1/25/16 and Harvey-Pinard recording the feat in a 8-2 Canadiens home win on 3/25/23… Most goals scored vs. MTL: 10 (11//14/16)… Most goals allowed vs. MTL: 5 (2/26/15).
NOTED (Player Highlights vs. MTL)
Bean made NHL debut on 11/27/19 at MTL… Jenner tallied 1st two NHL goals on 10/17/13 at MTL… Werenski skated in his 400th career game on 4/13/22 vs. MTL… Voronkov notched his 1st career NHL point (assist) in his debut on 10/26/23.
WRAPPING UP NOVEMBER AT HOME
The Blue Jackets won for the third time in the past four games after earning a 5-2 win over the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins on Monday. The club plays three games at home this week (Mon. vs. BOS, Wed. vs. MTL and Fri. vs. OTT). Sunday’s game at Carolina kicked off a stretch of nine games – including six at home – in 15 days through Dec. 10.
JACKETS ON THE KILL
The club denied Boston on both of its power play chances and has now killed off all 10 opponent power play chances over the last four contests. Columbus has allowed a power play goal in just two of the past 16 games (Nov. 16. vs. ARI) and (Nov. 19. vs. PHI), killing off 38-of-40 opponent power play chances (95.0 pct.). CBJ had killed off all 22 opponent power play opportunities over nine contests from Oct. 28-Nov.14 with the nine games without allowing a power play goal tied for the second-longest stretch in franchise history (Feb. 21- Mar. 9, 2013) and trailing only the 11 games from Dec. 31, 2018-Jan. 29, 2019. The club ranks second in the NHL in penalty kill percentage this season (LA; 89.4 pct.) at 89.2 pct. (58-of-65) and lead the League in penalty kill percentage since Oct. 20, killing off 50-of-54 opponent power play chances over the last 20 games (92.6 pct.).
BLOCK IT LIKE IT’S HOT
CBJ have been credited with 230 blocked shots over the past 12 games dating back to Nov. 6. The club ranks second in the NHL in blocked shots (439) and third in blocked shots-per-60 minutes (18.66). Defenseman Erik Gudbranson has recorded 1-1-2 in the past four games and 1-5-6 in his past 10 contests. The blueliner, who blocked six shots on Sunday, leads the team and ranks fifth among all NHL skaters in blocked shots in 2023-24 with 60.
FROM THE BLUE LINE
CBJ blueliners have combined for 5-14-19 in the past seven contests and 8-43-51 over the past 20 contests. They have collected 10-46- 56 in 23 games this season to rank third-T among NHL defensive units in assists and fifth in points, and lead the League in assists percentage (41.1 pct.) and points percentage (31.3 pct.) recorded by its defense. The club’s blueliners tied a single-game club record with eight points (1-7-8) in last Wednesday’s win over the Blackhawks. Defenseman Ivan Provorov notched his second goal of the campaign on Monday and ranks second on the team in assists and time on ice and third in points with 2-12-14 on 23:23 TOI in 23 contests. He recorded a four-game points streak (1-3-4) from Nov. 16-22, tying his career-high points streak for the fifth time (MR: 0-4-4 from Oct. 20-26, 2023). Blueliner Damon Severson, who suffered an oblique injury on Nov. 19, has collected 3-5-8 in 19 games, including his third career two-goal game (MR: Jan. 16, 2018 at NYI) on Nov. 16 vs. the Coyotes. Prior to last Sunday’s game, he had played 21- plus minutes 12-straight contests, averaging 22:39 of ice time during that span.
