NJD@MTL: Five things you need to know
The Canadiens begin their preseason schedule on Monday night with a matchup against the New Jersey Devils in Montreal
by Matt Cudzinowski @CanadiensMTL / canadiens.com
MONTREAL - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Monday night's preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre.
1. Monday night's contest will be the first of seven preseason games Claude Julien's contingent will play between now and the start of the 2019-20 campaign. The tilt against New Jersey marks the start of a very busy week for the Canadiens. They'll also be in action versus the Florida Panthers in Bathurst, NB on Wednesday in conjunction with Kraft Hockeyville, before returning home to square off against Florida again on Thursday. Then, they'll head to Ottawa to battle the Senators on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre. Needless to say, the Habs' brass will have plenty of opportunities to evaluate the group of players on their training camp roster in the coming days.
2. The Canadiens were in action on Sunday afternoon, going head-to-head amongst themselves in the annual Red vs. White Intrasquad Scrimmage presented by IGA. Team Red secured a 5-4 shootout victory in front of a sold-out crowd at the Bell Centre. Have a look at some of the goals that were scored below, including a penalty-shot blast by Jesperi Kotkaniemi that beat Carey Price…
Video: Red vs White: Mike Reilly from the point
Video: Red vs White: Jesperi Kotkaniemi penalty shot goal
Video: Red vs White: Petry scores on a breakaway
3. The Canadiens will be featuring a mix of veterans and youngsters against New Jersey. The goaltenders will be Price and Cayden Primeau. Following the morning skate, Julien confirmed that Price and Primeau will split the duties in between the pipes. Up front, the likes of Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans will play, while defensmen Josh Brook and Cale Fleury will have auditions as well.
4. A Devils' split-squad will be making the trip to Montreal since the club will also be playing at home against the Boston Bruins. The likes of rookie sensation Jack Hughes and former Habs rearguard P.K. Subban aren't making the trip. Swiss centerman Nico Hischier will be in Montreal, though.
5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. You can watch the game on TSN2 and RDS, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. To purchase tickets, click here.