Canadiens at Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings hope to salvage the finale of their three-game homestand and halt a four-game winless streak at Little Caesars Arena - and a five-game overall skid (0-2-3) - when they begin a home-and-home series against the Original Six-rival Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. The Red Wings are 0-2-2 in their last four games in Motown and 0-1-1 during their current string at home after Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Los Angeles.
Defenseman Mike Green ranks third on the team with 18 points and halted a five-game drought by scoring Detroit's lone goal against the Kings. Montreal will be playing its only road contest during an nine-game span and third in a stretch of 17 matches. The Canadiens edged Ottawa 2-1 on Wednesday to complete a perfect three-game homestand after losing three straight at Bell Centre (0-2-1) and five in a row overall (0-3-2). Jonathan Drouin, who leads Montreal with 17 points, has collected two goals and two assists over his last three contests after tallying in his second consecutive game on Wednesday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN2, RDS (Montreal), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (11-12-3): David Schlemko made his debut with the team on Wednesday, registering two shots in 15 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time. The 30-year-old defenseman, who was acquired from Vegas on June 22 after being selected from San Jose's roster in the expansion draft a day earlier, had been sidelined since suffering a hand injury during training camp that required surgery. Drouin on Wednesday became the first Canadien to convert a penalty-shot attempt since Dale Weise on Nov. 13, 2014.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (10-10-5): Jimmy Howard has struggled a bit of late, allowing four goals in three of his last four starts after yielding that amount just once in his first 15 outings. The 33-year-old goaltender has gone 0-2-2 during his slump, with his last victory coming on Nov. 17 against Buffalo. Anthony Mantha leads the team with 11 goals but has tallied just once in his last six contests.
OVERTIME
1. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, whose next power-play tally will be his 100th in the NHL, is mired in an 18-game goal-scoring drought.
2. Montreal G Carey Price has allowed only two goals while winning three straight starts since returning from a lower-body injury but likely will be given a rest on Thursday.
3. Detroit C Frans Nielsen reached the 400-point mark in his career with an assist on Tuesday.