Senators at Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators resume their rivalry Saturday at the Bell Centre. The Atlantic Division foes are meeting for the second time since their first-round playoff series last season, which Ottawa won in five games. The Senators, who are vying for their fourth straight victory, skated to a 4-1 triumph over the Canadiens in Ottawa on Nov. 7 and are 9-4-3 against divisional opponents.
Montreal is returning home after going 3-2-1 on a six-game road trip, but goaltender Carey Price yielded 18 goals while starting five of the six contests. Price has been much better at home, where he owns a 2.05 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in 20 starts. The Senators have dropped four consecutive road games but are hoping the strong home play of starting goaltender Craig Anderson will continue in his fourth straight start.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE SENATORS (18-18-7): Captain Jason Spezza has missed three games and is day-to-day with a hip flexor, leaving a scoring void that is being filled by the line of Cory Conacher, Mika Zibanejad and Milan Michalek. Conacher has five points in the last three contests, while Zibanejad and Michalek have points in each of the last two. Chris Neil will likely remain out with a lower-body injury that caused him to miss Thursday’s contest.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (24-14-4): Max Pacioretty celebrated his United States Olympic team selection with a four-point game in Montreal's 6-4 victory over Dallas on Thursday. Pacioretty has four goals and six points in the last two games and a team-leading 19 tallies on the season, while defenseman P.K. Subban - a Canadian Olympic hopeful - also has six points in the last two contests and leads the team with 33 points. Veteran forward Daniel Briere was a healthy scratch in Montreal’s last two games after going 10 contests without recording a point.
OVERTIME
1. The Senators are 0-for-11 on the power play in four games and have allowed 19 goals on 76 times short-handed on the road.
2. Price is 14-6-3 with three shutouts in 24 career starts against Ottawa.
3. Ottawa has not won a regular-season game in regulation at Montreal since Nov. 6, 2010.