Penguins at Canadiens
One of the month's marquee showdowns takes place Tuesday night when the Montreal Canadiens put their six-game winning streak on the line against reigning Hart Trophy recipient Sidney Crosby and the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canadiens have been positively stingy during their impressive run, surrendering just seven goals over the course of the streak. But that defense will be put to the test against a Penguins attack that ranks first in the league in goals per game (3.6).
In addition to being two of the hottest teams in the NHL, the Canadiens and Penguins have fans wondering what they have planned for an encore after a wild showing in their last encounter. The teams combined for 10 goals in regulation before David Desharnais netted the shootout winner in a thrilling finish at the Consol Energy Center. The Penguins come in having won two in a row, including a 3-2 shootout victory over the rival New York Rangers on Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), RDS (Montreal), SNE
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (12-3-1): Pittsburgh's fast start through the opening 20 percent of the season has the team on pace to establish several new franchise marks. The Penguins lead the league with a 32.8-percent power-play success rate, which would shatter the former club mark of 26 percent set back in 1995-96. The penalty-killing mark of 87.9 percent is one-tenth higher than the club standard from 2011-12, while Pittsburgh is on pace for 31 road victories; the club record is 24 set in 1992-93 and matched in 2010-11.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (14-4-1): Montreal has been the darling of the Eastern Conference despite struggling in Corsi and Fenwick, two advanced statistics that measure things like shot quality and scoring chances. But you won't hear the Canadiens complaining about their failure to endear themselves to the advanced stats crowd. "I don't know what a Fenwick is," forward Brendan Gallagher told the Montreal Gazette last week. "I've heard of the Corsi, I don't really understand it, it's new to me."
OVERTIME
1. The home team has prevailed in four of the last five meetings, with Pittsburgh winning three of those games.
2. Montreal has won four straight games against Metropolitan Division foes.
3. Crosby has 15 goals and 20 assists in 25 career games against the Canadiens.