Golden Knights at Canadiens
After making a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season, the Vegas Golden Knights are battling to stay out of the basement in the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights will look to post back-to-back wins away from home for the first time this season as they continue a four-game road trip at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Vegas rebounded from a 3-1 loss in Toronto with a 5-3 victory at Ottawa on Thursday, which marked only the second time the team has scored more than three goals in regulation. "The puck finally went in the net for us so that was a real key for us to get five goals," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said after five different players scored versus the Senators. "We're happy with that." Too many pucks have been going in Montreal's net -- the Canadiens have allowed 26 goals in the past six games and netminder Carey Price has surrendered at least four tallies in four straight starts. "It's all upstairs," Price said. "I gotta figure it out. I'm just not playing as well as I did earlier."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T Sportsnet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), TVAS, Sportsnet (Montreal)
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (7-8-1): With only two players collecting more than seven points this season, Vegas received a boost from an unexpected source in Thursday's win. After squandering a three-goal lead against the Senators, Vegas' fourth line rescued the team as William Carrier scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period before Pierre-Edouard Bellemare added an insurance tally. "We didn't do anything magic. We just put the puck behind them and won those battles," Bellemare said. "It's fun to be able to help the team offensively for once."
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (8-5-3): Center Tomas Plekanec has played his final game with Montreal and in the NHL, agreeing to have his contract terminated by the team Friday so he could retire as a member of the Canadiens. Plekanec, who has appeared in only three games this season, including the 1,000th of his career, did not rule out continuing to play in his native Czech Republic. "I'm going to miss the guys," Plekanec said. "It's another family, coming here every morning. Now, it's gone. It's something I'm going to miss, for sure. I'm going to watch them and cheer for them."
OVERTIME
1. Golden Knights G Marc-Andre Fleury is 22-12-3 with a 2.98 goals-against average versus Montreal.
2. Canadiens F Max Domi has four goals and four assists during a five-game point streak.
3. The teams split their two meetings last season, with each winning at home.