At 9:30 p.m., the Montreal Canadiens (1-2-0, 2 points) and Edmonton Oilers (1-2-0, 2 points) will both try to shake off slow starts to the 2013-2014 season tonight when they take the ice at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Canada. Live stream the game here; Canadiens fans can listen to the clash on TSN Radio 690, while Oilers fans can hear the game on 630 CHED.
The Oilers may have found their mojo in their last game against the New Jersey Devils, during which they rallied from a 3-0 third period deficit to claim a victory in the shootout.
Defenseman and captain Andrew Ference said the furious comeback showed how badly the team wants to win. "We just want to win so bad. You see it with teams at the start of the year if you can't get in the win column right away," Ference said. "You can't be out there scared to lose. There is an element of fear in every person that plays sports, but that has to be outweighed by the desire to win. You can't be paralyzed with the fear of losing."
Last season, Edmonton was 19-22-7, placing them 12th in the Western conference. Meanwhile, the Canadiens were 29-14-5, good for second in the East, so expectations on them are sky-high.
Defenseman P.K. Subban is through making excuses for Montreal's slow start. "We can continue to say it's the beginning of the season and we're just getting things going, but we've got to come out better than that."
Edmonton coach Dallas Eakin may facilitate that, as he will be inserting struggling goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who has surrendered ten goals in two starts, back into net. He was benched in favor of Jason LaBarbera on Monday.
"He takes it personally, which is a good thing, but it can also be your nemesis," Eakins said. "He's had a couple of goals that he'd like back. He's made some huge saves, too.
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