MTL@BOS: What you need to know

TEAM COMPARISON

“I liked everything about our game, but I’m not going to talk about the referees.”

That’s all Martin St-Louis had to say in response to post-game questions in New York on Saturday – repeated not once, but six times. He did not want to comment on the administration, and neither will we. The Habs look ahead to Sunday hoping for better fortunes as they complete a three-game road trip against another Original Six opponent – and arguably their biggest rival – the Bruins. TD Garden hasn’t been kind to the Habs in recent years; They haven’t won in Boston since 2019. But if they can match Saturday’s level at Madison Square Garden (with a few more jumps), the Canadiens’ chances of getting two points increase significantly.

It was an unusually rocky start for the Bruins in the first quarter of the season. After a three-game break and an overall poor start by their standards, the team relieved Jim Montgomery of his duties on November 19 and replaced him with Joe Sacco. Since taking over, Sacco has led Boston to a 3-2-0 record, but their offensive woes continue. Aside from a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, the Bruins have not scored more than two goals in a game under Sacco’s leadership. And when you look at the bigger picture, Boston is ranked 31st^st in the NHL with just 2.32 goals per game and last with a power play rate of a dismal 12%. However, as any good sports fan knows, rivalry games have the ability to rewrite the script. The only numbers that matter today are the ones on the scoreboard when the clock strikes zero.

SEASON SERIES

Oct 10 @ BOS: 6-4 BOS

Dec 1st @ BOS:

April 3rd against BOS:

Players to watch out for

The Canadiens’ 13-14-15 are heating up – and quickly. Caufield and Suzuki have scored goals in consecutive games, while Alex Newhook’s speed has caused problems for opponents. Montreal will need to keep its top team high if it wants to leave Boston with two points on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Brad Marchand is in good form himself, scoring three goals in his last four games. With Bruins legends in the building today, you can bet the B’s captain will be extra motivated to get the job done again.

BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-BRUINS

Here’s a look at how the Canadiens and Bruins match up in numbers: