Panthers at Canadiens
The Florida Panthers had high expectations this season but would need a major turnaround to climb back into postseason contention as they attempt to snap a season-high six-game losing streak when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. The Panthers, who sit 12 points out of a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, are 0-4-2 during their slide after suffering a 5-1 loss at Vancouver on Sunday.
“We had some guys, especially some of our big guys, have very average - if not below-average - games, and you can’t win hockey games that way,” Florida coach Bob Boughner told reporters after the loss to the Canucks. The Panthers have allowed 25 goals during the losing streak and coughed up five in a home setback against Montreal on Dec. 28 in the first of four meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals this season. The Canadiens recorded their third win in four games and eighth in 12 contests on Monday as they surrendered the tying goal late in regulation before winning 3-2 in Boston on defenseman Jeff Petry’s goal 15 seconds into overtime. Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher recorded his team-leading 18th goal, scoring for the third time in four games, and Paul Byron snapped his six-game point drought by notching a tally and an assist.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida, TSN2, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (17-19-8): Jonathan Huberdeau has recorded just one of his team-leading 47 points in the last four games while Evgenii Dadonov (37 points) has been limited to three over his last 10 contests. Captain Aleksander Barkov has accumulated 11 points in his last 11 games to push the season total to 44 while Mike Hoffman has scored three of his team-best 21 goals over the last six contests. Nick Bjugstad returned to the lineup Sunday after missing 16 games with an upper-body injury and registered three hits in 12 minutes, 46 seconds of ice time.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (25-17-5): Former Hart Trophy winner Carey Price turned aside 41 shots in Monday’s win, but that may give backup Antti Niemi (7-4-1) a chance to defeat Florida for the second time this season. Max Domi set up Petry’s winning goal against Boston to push his team-leading total to 40 points while Phillip Danault, who owns a team-best plus-14 rating, registered his fourth assist in four games. Tomas Tatar (14 goals, 33 points) has not scored a goal since netting a pair against Florida and has notched only two points in his last seven contests.
OVERTIME
1. The Canadiens, who did not receive a power-play opportunity on Monday, are 1-for-20 with the man advantage over their last eight games.
2. Florida C Frank Vatrano has registered two goals and an assist in his last three games to push his career-high total to 20 points,
3. Montreal D Victor Mete has been kept off the scoresheet in nine straight games but has posted a plus-10 rating this season.