The Canadiens are about to get an odd-looking week on the schedule, and it starts Tuesday night in Buffalo.
Montreal will face the Sabres at 6:30 p.m., the first of three games this week with three different start times. Wednesday’s matchup comes at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s game is set for the usual 7 p.m. puck drop.
That means a little variety for fans and a little variety for the broadcast crew, too. Pierre Houde, Alain Crête and Félix Séguin will handle play-by-play duties against Buffalo, Washington and Buffalo, respectively.
The later starts are easy enough to explain. Saturday is a standard 7 p.m. game, and Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. slot is the normal Prime time. Tuesday is the odd one out.
In that case, the explanation is simpler than it sounds: all 32 NHL teams are in action, and the first 13 games are staggered 15 minutes apart. The Canadiens just landed in the 6:30 p.m. window.
So there’s nothing special attached to that early puck drop. It’s simply the way the league schedule shakes out when everyone plays on the same night.
Montreal, meanwhile, comes into the week off a shootout win and sitting at 2-2-1. Another two points would go a long way.
But the schedule isn’t the only thing Martin St-Louis has to sort through. Injuries are also hanging over the Canadiens’ lineup, with uncertainty around Florian Xhekaj and Oliver Kapanen, and Mike Matheson missing practice for a treatment day.
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Canadiens Suddenly Have A Real Samuel Montembeault Trade Decision
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For Montreal, the appeal is obvious in theory: a chance to move a goalie who may not have a clear runway here into a situation where the games could come sooner and more often. The wrinkle is timing, because Montembeault is on injured reserve and not exactly positioned to be a quick fix, which leaves the Canadiens with a decision to make while another team keeps searching for answers in net. [Read more 🡒]