Hurricanes at Canadiens
THE STORY: Armed with one of the worst home marks in the National Hockey League, the Montreal Canadiens can at least go into Wednesday's action knowing they'll welcome a Carolina Hurricanes club just as woeful on the road. Montreal enters the Eastern Conference showdown with just two wins in nine games at the Bell Centre. Those home struggles are the main reason the Canadiens find themselves at the bottom of the Northeast Division standings. Montreal couldn't hold a two-goal lead in its last outing, falling 3-2 in a shootout at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres. The Hurricanes may be the perfect tonic for Montreal's home ills, having won just twice in nine road encounters so far this season. Carolina dropped a 5-3 decision to Philadelphia on Monday for its fifth loss in the last six games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (6-9-3): Jeff Skinner may still be a teenager, but he's already racking up some major NHL miles. The 19-year-old played in his 100th career game Monday, recording an assist in defeat. The reigning Calder Trophy winner hasn't missed a single game in his career, recording 38 goals and 43 assists over his first 100 contests. The seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft has two goals and two assists in four career games against the Canadiens.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (7-7-3): Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of Andrei Markov's last NHL game. The veteran defenseman continues to work his way back from a major knee injury suffered in that contest, and considers his return now just weeks away rather than months. Montreal could use his steady blue line play, with Chris Campoli (leg) still on the sidelines and Jaroslav Spacek (upper body) considered questionable for Wednesday's game.
OVERTIME:
1. Montreal won three of four meetings between the clubs last season. The Hurricanes salvaged the head-to-head finale, winning 6-2 on March 30 behind two-goal efforts from Skinner and Jamie McBain.
2. Carey Price will likely get the start in goal for the Canadiens on Wednesday. He's 4-4-1 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in nine career games against Carolina.