Wild at Canadiens
THE STORY: A pair of desperate clubs hit the Bell Centre ice Thursday night when the Montreal Canadiens entertain the Minnesota Wild. Montreal is almost out of time in its quest to rally for a spot in the poseaseason. The team sits 11 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot with just 18 games remaining, and has six other teams standing in the way. The Wild are in a marginally better position in the West, six points out of eighth spot but with three teams to pass. Both teams are just 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE WILD (28-26-9): When Minnesota missed the playoffs last season, a lack of offense was identified as the main culprit - the club finished second-last in the West in goals. The Wild set out to fix the problem in the offseason, acquiring skilled forwards Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi in separate deals with the San Jose Sharks. But both players have struggled with injuries and inconsistency, and the Wild will enter Thursday's action right where they finished the 2011-12 campaign - second from the bottom in goals scored in the conference.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (24-30-10): A dismal end to the month of February likely decided Montreal's postseason fate. The Canadiens finished off a 0-3-0 road trip Tuesday with a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, falling to 1-6-1 in their last eight contests and dropping into last place in the Eastern Conference. With just over a month remaining in the regular season, the focus will likely shift to showcasing the club's young talent - beginning with trade deadline acquisition Blake Geoffrion, who was held scoreless with a plus-1 rating in his Canadiens debut Tuesday night.
OVERTIME:
1. The teams last met March 20, 2011, when P.K. Subban's only career hat trick highlighted Montreal's 8-1 drubbing of the Wild.
2. The Canadiens have scored just five goals in their last five games - two of those coming on the power play.