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Idi Admin
Preview: San Jose at Montreal
7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
The San Jose Sharks are attempting to avoid their longest losing streak since February 2013 when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night in the opener of a five-game road trip. The Sharks have dropped six in a row but are hoping getting away from home will cure their woes, similar to their perfect six-game road trip from Nov. 13-22.
“Every team goes through these sorts of streaks and lulls throughout the year," San Jose forward Tommy Wingels said. "We’ve got to find a way to dig ourselves out of it, and the only way we’re going to do that is work our way through it.” Montreal broke out of a rut of its own, halting a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Ottawa on Saturday. The Canadiens, who tallied seven times during the four-game skid, scored more than two goals for the first time in eight contests. The Sharks also are in an offensive swoon with nine goals during their current 0-5-1 stretch.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), RDS, RSN (Montreal)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (14-14-1): Center Logan Couture will not accompany the team on the five-game trek after undergoing an arterial procedure on his right thigh sustained in his second game since returning from a fractured right fibula. Coach Peter DeBoer split up captain Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton for the first time this season in Saturday's 2-0 home loss to Minnesota before reuniting the duo at Sunday's practice. “You can read a lot into it,” DeBoer said. “We don’t want to change our foundation or what we’re doing, but we can change chemistry and combinations and try to get a spark.”
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (20-8-3): Montreal coach Michel Therrien also put an end to one of his key line changes and opted to reunite captain Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec against Ottawa and his team responded with a franchise record-tying 27-shot barrage and a goal by Pacioretty in the first period. "You need your best players to be the difference makers. This is what it takes for any team to be successful," Therrien said. "But Pacioretty and Plekanec definitely set a great example for their teammates." Goaltender Dustin Tokarski will make his third consecutive start against San Jose.
OVERTIME
1. Canadiens F Torrey Mitchell, who spent his first four seasons with San Jose, is expected to return after a 10-game absence.
2. Sharks Gs Martin Jones and Alex Stalock own shutouts against the Canadiens, but Jones also allowed six goals to them last December while with Los Angeles.
3. Montreal is 0-for-16 on the power play in the last five games.
Trends
Sharks are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Montreal.
Sharks are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. Atlantic.
http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nhl/matchups/g2_preview_11.html
7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
The San Jose Sharks are attempting to avoid their longest losing streak since February 2013 when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night in the opener of a five-game road trip. The Sharks have dropped six in a row but are hoping getting away from home will cure their woes, similar to their perfect six-game road trip from Nov. 13-22.
“Every team goes through these sorts of streaks and lulls throughout the year," San Jose forward Tommy Wingels said. "We’ve got to find a way to dig ourselves out of it, and the only way we’re going to do that is work our way through it.” Montreal broke out of a rut of its own, halting a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Ottawa on Saturday. The Canadiens, who tallied seven times during the four-game skid, scored more than two goals for the first time in eight contests. The Sharks also are in an offensive swoon with nine goals during their current 0-5-1 stretch.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), RDS, RSN (Montreal)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (14-14-1): Center Logan Couture will not accompany the team on the five-game trek after undergoing an arterial procedure on his right thigh sustained in his second game since returning from a fractured right fibula. Coach Peter DeBoer split up captain Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton for the first time this season in Saturday's 2-0 home loss to Minnesota before reuniting the duo at Sunday's practice. “You can read a lot into it,” DeBoer said. “We don’t want to change our foundation or what we’re doing, but we can change chemistry and combinations and try to get a spark.”
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (20-8-3): Montreal coach Michel Therrien also put an end to one of his key line changes and opted to reunite captain Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec against Ottawa and his team responded with a franchise record-tying 27-shot barrage and a goal by Pacioretty in the first period. "You need your best players to be the difference makers. This is what it takes for any team to be successful," Therrien said. "But Pacioretty and Plekanec definitely set a great example for their teammates." Goaltender Dustin Tokarski will make his third consecutive start against San Jose.
OVERTIME
1. Canadiens F Torrey Mitchell, who spent his first four seasons with San Jose, is expected to return after a 10-game absence.
2. Sharks Gs Martin Jones and Alex Stalock own shutouts against the Canadiens, but Jones also allowed six goals to them last December while with Los Angeles.
3. Montreal is 0-for-16 on the power play in the last five games.
Trends
Sharks are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Montreal.
Sharks are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. Atlantic.
http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nhl/matchups/g2_preview_11.html
