Senators at Canadiens
THE STORY: The Ottawa Senators can grab a share of first place in the Northeast Division with a victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Wednesday in the opener of a home-and-home series. Ottawa, which has won six of its last eight visits to Montreal, sits two points behind the slumping Boston Bruins in the Northeast. The Senators have played very well on the road of late, posting three shutouts while winning five of six and outscoring their opponents 24-5 in those victories. The Canadiens have lost eight of 11 overall, five of six at home and six in a row against Eastern Conference opponents.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS
ABOUT THE SENATORS (36-25-9): Craig Anderson is working toward a return to action as he has been taking part in on-ice workouts. The goaltender, who is sidelined with a sliced tendon in his hand, has yet to practice with the team, however. Erik Karlsson has been the team's hottest player offensively, scoring 10 goals over his last 13 contests. The All-Star defenseman had tallied just eight times in his previous 59 matches.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (27-32-11): Andrei Markov's second game back from his knee injury did not go as well as the first. The defenseman, who notched an assist in just over 17 minutes of action against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, was a minus-2 in 17 minutes of an overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. Coach Randy Cunneyworth was not ready to place any blame for the loss on Markov. "I think he did a lot of good things out there," he said.
OVERTIME:
1. Both clubs enter having gone 2-0-1 in their last three contests.
2. The Senators and Canadiens complete their home-and-home series Friday at Scotiabank Place.