The Montreal Canadiens play the second game of a four-game road trip against the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday night.

Once again without striker Brendan Gallagher, CH meets the two-headed monster consisting of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The meeting will be broadcast on TVA Sports and TVA Sports Direct from 7pm.

We are in the first period. The score is 0:0.

SUMMARY

FIRST PERIOD

00:00 – beginning of the game

foreplay

Rem Pitlick will be back in the line-up to make up for the veteran’s absence. The Ontarian was recalled by the Laval Rocket after picking up six points in nine games. At the big club he hasn’t scored in seven games this season.

“He has to be productive on the ice, whether it’s offensive or defensive. He’s capable of that,” St-Louis said in a press conference.

“I’ll try to do what I did last year. I’ll try to play well defensively and well at 200 feet. I want to set the pace and ideally make a couple of good plays. I want to keep it simple and bring some energy,” Pitlick said.

Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic will be back in the lineup while Jordan Harris and Chris Wideman are left out.

It’s Jake Allen sent in front of the net once again. The New Brunswicker was solid with up to 45 shots in Thursday’s 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames.

The big guns

With a record of 12-10-1, the Habs are sixth overall in the Atlantic Division. However, his -11 differential is one of the worst in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Columbus Blue Jackets (-24) and the Philadelphia Flyers (-22).

Of course, one to watch is Connor McDavid, who is prancing atop the team’s and National Hockey League’s (NHL) scorers with 43 points.

“[Leon Draisaitl et McDavid] are great players. They play a lot of minutes and I think it will take a concerted effort to counter these guys. […] They have too much speed, talent and intelligence, we have to face them together,” analyzed St-Louis.

The Oilers are in a similar position with a 13-11-0 record, good for 26 points. However, the Alberta squad is fourth overall in the Pacific Division.