Swedish defenceman Mattias Norlinder will face his childhood idol Sidney Crosby in NHL debut with Habs.
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Here are five things you should know about Thursday’s game between the Canadiens (4-12-2) and Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-4) at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
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The goalies: Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said he will wait until after Thursday’s morning skate before announcing his starting goalie, but you have to think it will be Cayden Primeau, who made his season debut Tuesday in New York. Primeau, called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket after Jake Allen was sidelined with a concussion, stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers and looked comfortable in the Madison Square Garden spotlight. Primeau also played well with Laval, posting a 4-4-0 record with two shutouts, a 2.41 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Samuel Montembeault has struggled as Allen’s backup, posting a 0-3-1 record with a 3.77 GAA and a .890 save percentage. Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry has a 5-4-3 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
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NHL debut for Norlinder: Defenceman Mattias Norlinder will make his NHL debut after being selected by the Canadiens in the third round (64th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. Norlinder will get an up-close look at Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. “When you’re on the ice you don’t really think about it,” Norlinder said when asked about facing Crosby. “When I grew up, he was my idol. Tomorrow he will not be my idol.” Norlinder will take Chris Wideman’s spot in the lineup and will be with David Savard on the third defence pairing.
Sid the Kid: Speaking of Crosby, he has only played three games this season after recovering from wrist surgery in August. Crosby has only one assist in those three games and is minus-6. The Penguins are on a three-game losing streak and are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Sabres Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. Evan Rodrigues leads the Penguins in scoring with 6-5-11 totals, followed by Jake Guentzel (5-6-11), Kasperi Kapanen (4-5-9) and Kris Letang (1-8-9).
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Where’s Malkin? The Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin has yet to play after having off-season knee surgery that was expected to sideline him for at least the first two months of the season. Malkin has been skating on his own. “I had an opportunity to see him the other day and was really encouraged with his strength on the ice and how he’s progressed,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said on the team’s website . “He’s on track to where we think he’s going to trend to a return to play. We’re really encouraged with the progress that he’s made.” Crosby (1,326) and Malkin (1,104) rank second and third, respectively, in career points with the Penguins, trailing only Mario Lemieux (1,723).
Missing coach: Sullivan won’t be behind the Penguins bench due to the Canadian government’s mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement following his previous positive COVID-19 test. The Penguins announced on Nov. 4 that Sullivan had entered the NHL’s COVID protocol and he made his return behind the bench last Sunday in Washington when Pittsburgh lost 6-1. Assistant coach Todd Reirden will take over the head-coaching duties. “We got to bring swagger, and we got to bring urgency,” Sullivan said. “And when we bring those two things, we’re a pretty competitive team and we can compete against anyone.”
Penguins at Canadiens: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette
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