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Dec. 6, 2022: Canadiens at Kraken: Five things you should know

Shane Wright will be in Seattle's lineup after five-game stint in AHL to take on a team that passed on him at NHL draft.

Shane Wright was taken by the Seattle Kraken with the fourth overall pick at this year’s NHL draft, which was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Shane Wright was taken by the Seattle Kraken with the fourth overall pick at this year’s NHL draft, which was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette

SEATTLE — Here are five things you should know about Tuesday’s game between the Canadiens (12-11-2) and the Seattle Kraken (15-6-3) at Climate Pledge Arena (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Look who’s back: Shane Wright, the No. 4 overall pick at this year’s NHL draft, will be in the Kraken lineup after playing five games with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he scored four goals. Wright was sent to Coachella on a five-game conditioning stint after being a healthy scratch for 11 of the Kraken’s first 18 games. Wright had one assist in the seven games he played with the Kraken while averaging only 8:06 of ice time per game. He scored four goals on his first five shots in the AHL.

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Taking a pass: Wright was the top-rated prospect heading into the NHL draft, but the Canadiens took a pass on him and selected Juraj Slafkovsky instead. The New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes also took a pass on Wright before the Kraken drafted him. Slafkovsky has 4-3-7 totals in 20 games with the Canadiens, but Wright told Seattle reporters he hasn’t been paying attention to what the No. 1 overall pick is doing. “Not really, no,” Wright said. “Not really too worried about what he’s doing. I’m just focusing on myself and my own situation. Two different situations with what’s going on and stuff. So I’m really more focused on myself and my own game and what I’m doing here and what I’m bringing to the team here.”

Giving up goals: The Canadiens have given up 12 goals in their last two games — a 5-3 loss to the Oilers Saturday in Edmonton and a 7-6 overtime loss to the Canucks Monday night in Vancouver. The Canadiens rank 27th in the NHL in defence, allowing an average of 3.60 goals per game. Veteran defenceman David Savard missed the game in Vancouver with an upper-body injury. The Canadiens rank 22nd in offence, scoring an average of 2.92 goals per game. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki are tied for the team lead in goals with 14 after they each had a goal against the Canucks. No other player on the Canadiens has more than six goals.

Home, sweet home? This is the final game of a three-game homestand for the Kraken, who have a 7-5-2 record at Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken have been much better on the road, where they are 8-1-1. They are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday that ended a seven-game winning streak. Andre Burakovsky leads the Kraken in scoring with 9-16-25 totals, followed by Jordan Eberle with 6-16-22 and Matty Beniers with 10-11-21. Jared McCann leads the Kraken with 11 goals to go along with five assists.

Headed home: This is the last game of a four-game road trip for the Canadiens, who have a 1-1-1 record in the first three games. They will play four of their next five games at the Bell Centre, starting Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings. Eleven of the Canadiens’ 15 games in December are on the road.

scowan@postmedia.com

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