from Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette,
Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Red Wings game at the Bell Centre Saturday...
The matchup: The last time these teams met was in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and things did not go well for the Canadiens. Detroit had the worst record, by far, in the NHL, but they swept the four-game season series against the Canadiens, outscoring Montreal 14-9. The Canadiens dropped a 4-1 decision to Carolina on Thursday and are the only team without a point in the standings after starting the season with five consecutive losses. The Red Wings, who have gone five seasons without earning a playoff berth, are 2-1-1 after losing 3-0 to Calgary on Thursday.
Turnaround for Larkin: Tyler Bertuzzi is off to a fast start for the Red Wings, with five goals and an assist in four games, but Detroit is hoping this is a turnaround season for homegrown talent Dylan Larkin. Larkin had a breakthrough season in 2018-19, when he had 32 goals and 73 points, but his past two seasons have been disappointing. He had 19 goals in 2019-20 and scored only nine goals in 44 games last season as he struggled with injuries. He’s healthy again and he has a goal and two assists in three games. But the most encouraging sign is that he’s paying more attention to defence. He has a plus-4 rating after going a combined minus-78 during his first six seasons.
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