Canadiens at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have turned things around with four straight victories and look to avoid a letdown when they host the struggling Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. The Blue Jackets occupy the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and sit four points behind Philadelphia for third place in the crowded Metropolitan Division after a 3-2 victory over Detroit on Friday.
“We always talked about how we just want to make sure we’re hitting our stride at the right time,” Columbus captain Nick Foligno told reporters. “We’ve got a little ways to go, but we feel more and more confident about our game as we get closer to the stuff that really matters. That’s kind of always been our focus.” The Blue Jackets split two games in Montreal this season and hope to take care of the low-scoring Canadiens, who have lost four in a row after coughing up a lead late and dropping a 3-2 shootout decision at league-best Tampa Bay on Saturday. Montreal is 29th in the league in scoring (2.51) and playing out the string with several key performers out for the season with injuries. The Canadiens are tied for the least road victories in the league (nine) with only one coming in the last 12 away from the Bell Centre.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RDS, TSN2 (Montreal), FS Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (25-31-12): Forward Alex Galchenyuk notched his 16th goal Saturday and became the second player on the team to reach 40 points - joining right wing Brendan Gallagher (41). Left wing Charles Hudon, who came back from two hard hits to finish with a pair of assists against Tampa Bay, has recorded six points in his last seven games to increase his season total to 26. Defenseman Mike Reilly, who came over from Minnesota at the trade deadline, has posted five assists in his first six contests with the Canadiens.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (36-28-5): Defenseman Seth Jones has already set career highs in goals (13) and points (46) after scoring three times in the last two games. “He’s had a hell of a year offensively, but the most important part about Jonesy’s game is becoming a leader,” Columbus coach John Tortorella told reporters. “He doesn’t say too much during the game, but just the way he carries himself. … he knows he’s part of that leadership group. All facets of the game, he just keeps improving.” Artemi Panarin leads the team with 60 points and seven have come in the last four games.
OVERTIME
1. Montreal G Antti Niemi is 4-2-4 with the Canadiens and boasts a .951 save percentage over his last five starts.
2. Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky is 8-5-1 with a .934 SP in his career against Montreal and needs one win to reach 30 for the fourth time.
3. Former Canadien Thomas Vanek owns two goals and an assist in six games since coming to the Blue Jackets at the trade deadline.