This is the first of two meetings between the two Original Six clubs that have experienced troubled starts on and off the ice.
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Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Blackhawks game at the Bell Centre Thursday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
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The matchup: This is the first of two meetings between the two Original Six clubs that have experienced troubled starts on and off the ice. The Canadiens, who are last in the Atlantic Division with a 6-18-3 record, went through a front-office purge that saw the departure of general manager Marc Bergevin and assistant general managers Trevor Timmins and Scott Mellanby. The Blackhawks are seventh in the Central Division with a 9-14-2 record and general manager Stan Bowman resigned after he was embroiled in the a coverup of a sexual abuse scandal involving a video coach. Last month, the Blackhawks fired head coach Jeremy Colliton and replaced him on an interim basis with Derek King.
Fleury eyes milestone: Marc-André Fleury, who is a shoo-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame, will start in goal for the Blackhawks and the Sorel native would like nothing more than to post his 500th win in his home province. The only other goaltenders to reach 500 wins are fellow Quebecers Martin Brodeur — the all-time leader with 691 — and Patrick Roy, with 551. Jake Allen will make his sixth consecutive start for Montreal and his 21st start in 28 games. He’s been busy filling in for Carey Price, who appeared on the jce in goalie equipment Wednesday, but isn’t expected to play until after Christmas.
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Strong Laval presence: Christian Dvorak is the latest addition to the Canadiens’ Team Clinic. He suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. He’s listed as day-to-day, but he was scheduled to have an MRI Wednesday and Jesse Ylonen was recalled from Laval to fill in for him. Ylonen should feel at home with the Canadiens because the team has been forced to rely on its farm team for reinforcements as they cope with the NHL’s longest injury list. The current roster includes six players who have dressed for the Rocket this season — Ylonen, Ryan Poehling, Laurent Dauphin, Michael Pezzetta, Cole Caufield and defenceman Corey Schueneman.
Caufield firing blanks: Caufield, who has been a goal-scorer at every level, has been a study in frustration in his rookie season. Caufield has only one goal in 19 games and he has a shooting percentage of 2.7 per cent. That would be the lowest among the Canadiens’ regulars if it weren’t for Joel Armia, who has one goal on 45 shots for a success rate of 2.2 per cent. Caufield had some success with Nick Suzuki in the playoff run last season, but he’s currently on the third line with some additional ice time on the power play. If the Canadiens didn’t have so many injuries, Caufield would probably be back in Laval for more seasoning.
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Toews slow coming back: Jonathan Toews missed all last season with chronic immune response syndrome, a condition that saps his strength, but the Blackhawks captain is making a slow comeback. He has nine assists in 25 games and is still looking for his first goal as he deals with the longest goal drought of his career. He’s playing 18 minutes a game with time on both special teams. The Blackhawks’ leading scorer is defenceman Seth Jones with 22 points, including three goals. Patrick Kane has seven goals and 21 points, while the team’s leading goal-scorer is Alex DeBrincat, with 14.
Blackhawks at Canadiens: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette
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