Canadiens at Canucks
The Montreal Canadiens have a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time in a month when they wrap up a three-game road trip through Western Canada on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. Montreal swept its two-game series with the Canucks last season and have won five straight meetings, including the last two in Vancouver.
The Canadiens rebounded from a 6-2 shellacking by Edmonton with a 3-2 victory over Calgary behind Carey Price's brilliant 43-save performance. "I hope we'll be able to build on this win and start off the next game on the right foot instead of on our heels," Montreal coach Claude Julien told reporters. "That's what a win can do for your team sometimes." Such a winning feeling has eluded the Canucks, which concluded a six-game road trip (1-3-2) with a 6-2 drubbing in Minnesota - their fourth consecutive defeat. Vancouver has played 14 of its first 21 contests on the road but owns a 5-2-0 record at home.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, Sportsnet One, TVA
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (10-6-3): Price needed a big effort for his psyche after sitting out a pair of games, which followed a rocky stretch during which he was blitzed for 11 goals in back-to-back losses and allowed 19 tallies in his previous four starts. "He's got his reputation as Carey Price, the best goalie in the world, for a reason and we have that confidence playing in front of him, and I don't think anyone was ever worried," right wing Brendan Gallagher told reporters. Artturi Lehkonen delivered the game-winning goal against the Flames in the third period, his first tally since the season opener.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-9-2): Bo Horvat scored on the power play against the Wild to take over the team lead with 18 points and tie rookie sensation Elias Pettersson for the most goals with 10, but Vancouver is only 2-for-20 with the man advantage over its last four games. “We’re just not connecting,” defenseman Derrick Pouliot told reporters. “You have to be crisp and clean, and we have a lot of new guys (on the power play) who have to get used to each other, and we need to shoot more and get pucks back.” Pettersson is mired in his first slump, failing to land on the scoresheet over his last four games.
OVERTIME
1. Canadiens LW Max Domi has collected five goals and seven assists during his eight-game point streak.
2. Canucks G Jacob Markstrom is 1-1-0 with 10 goals allowed in three career starts against Montreal.
3. Price is 10-2-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average versus Vancouver.