The Montreal Canadiens face the Tampa Bay Lightning with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Canadiens have a 15-16-3 record and with only three wins in their last 10 games, have fallen to the bottom of the Atlantic Division. The Lightning have a 20-11-1 record and with seven wins in the last 10 games have leaped into third place in the Atlantic Division. Both teams are looking to improve within the division and the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Canadiens are having a rough season with their offense letting them down, scoring only 2.68 goals per game with only three goals in the last two games. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Kirby Dach have scored 39 goals and 42 assists but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only five skaters have scored seven goals or more while only six skaters have nine assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has let the Canadiens down but the defense has also struggled, allowing 3.47 goals per game. Johnathan Kovacevic and Arber Xhekaj have combined for 2.5 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. In addition, goaltender Jake Allen has struggled in the net with a .900 save percentage and a 3.26 goals-against average on 752 shots.