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Posted at 1:15 PM EST. 

8:35 PM EST. Regulation only. Lots of moving parts here, as both the Canadiens and Stars continue to struggle but there is a major difference between the franchises and it’s not just on the ice either. Off the ice, Montreal plays in a pressure cooker while Dallas does not. In Montreal, hockey isn’t just a sport; it’s a way of life. With that comes an inordinate amount of pressure to win and right now, the Habs are not dealing with that pressure well. Fans and media are calling for GM Marc Bergevin’s head. On the ice, Montreal just lost 6-0 to their biggest rivals, the Maple Leafs and that came after they lost to the then 2-15-3 Coyotes. The media in Montreal has lost their minds over the Canadiens last two losses and young goaltender, Charlie Lindgren has to be feeling the pressure as much as anyone.

The flawed Canadiens might just be a poorly constructed team. Jonathan Drouin, who won only seven of 21 face-offs against the Leafs, is not a center. Drouin has 3-10-13 totals this season and is minus-7, while winning only 41.4% of his face-offs. He has one goal in his last 14 games. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, traded to Tampa Bay this summer in exchange for Drouin, has 5-9-14 totals and is plus-8 with the Lightning. The Canadiens are playing fifth and sixth defensemen in the No. 3 and No. 4 slots. The Canadiens are small up front and slow on the back end and now they’re reeling both on the ice and in their minds. Lastly, the Canadiens have Nashville up next back in Montreal, which could not come at a worse time for Montreal or its GM. With the media already talking about it, there will be even more pressure to win that game against P.K. Subban and the Preds and at the very least, it has to be in the back of the player’s minds.

Dallas sits 10th in the West, which isn’t exactly where they were projected to be at this point but make no mistake that the Stars are playing well. Their problems this year are once again in goal, where Ben Bishop has the 40th best save percentage among 45 qualified goaltenders. Their road record is weak too. Dallas has limited the opposition to 28 shots or less in seven of its last nine and 30 or less in all nine. That’s a major improvement from last year. They rank high in both Corsi For and Corsi Against numbers too. Dallas dominates for stretches almost every game. Additionally, Former Hab, Alexander Radulov will face Montreal for the first time since leaving and there is no question that he’ll be extra jacked up to do so. Radulov might be the Stars best player this season so far. His teammates know how important this game is to him so they’ll be extra jacked up too. In the end, Dallas is not playing poorly at all. They are 7-2 at home, their mindset is much more positive after a 6-3 win over Edmonton while Montreal continues to play on its heels, fearful of making a mistake. This one sets up nicely for Dallas to keep its momentum going. 

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