WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE
The Canadiens will hold Kaiden Guhle Bobblehead Night presented by RONA at the Bell Centre. The first 8,000 fans through the doors will get their hands on a one-of-a-kind figurine, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
TEAM COMPARISONS
Juraj Slafkovsky’s opening marker against the Jets would prove to be the only goal scored by the Habs in a 4-1 loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday at the Bell Centre. With three losses in a row, Martin St-Louis' troops will be looking to not only get back in the win column, but to do so with more regularity as they did through half of December and January. Jakub Dobes will defend the cage for the seventh time this season, but the Canadiens will be without Kaiden Guhle. The defenseman is out indefinitely after undergoing successful surgery on a lacerated quadricep muscle. Prior to this announcement, the Canadiens recalled Jayden Struble from the Laval Rocket on Wednesday. With 53 points, Montreal continues to be in the playoff picture, only two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning who sit in the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Filip Gustavsson’s 32-save effort helped the Wild secure a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. Following two Ws in a row, John Hynes’ contingent is looking to build on that momentum to solidify their position in the Central Division. With 64 points, their main competition are the Jets (73 points), Dallas Stars (65 points) and Colorado Avalanche (60 points). The Wild have gone 4-6-0 in the last 10 games and are currently without star forward Kirill Kaprizov, who’s out for at least four weeks and will require surgery for a lower-body injury.
SEASON SERIES
Nov. 14 @ MIN: 3-0 MIN
Jan. 30 vs. MIN:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
MTL: Slafkovsky has registered three goals and two assists in his last five outings. Along with his linemates Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, the trio have combined for 10 points over their last two games.
MIN: Marc-André Fleury will play in his final game against his hometown team, as the 40-year-old veteran netminder is expected to hang up his skates at the end of the season. In 47 career games against the Canadiens, Fleury owns a 27-13-6 record while posting a .904 save percentage and a 2.91 GAA.
BY THE NUMBERS: WILD-HABS
Here’s how the Wild and Habs match up by the numbers: