Kings at Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens own the best record in the NHL and will put their perfect home record on the line when they host the resurgent Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. The Canadiens have lost only once in regular in 13 games and are a spotless 8-0-0 at the Bell Centre, but they will be tested by the suddenly explosive Kings.
Los Angeles had dropped three in a row -- all by shutout -- before a 3-2 victory over reigning champion Pittsburgh, which was followed by a pair of lopsided victories over Calgary and Toronto by a combined 12-0 count. "We've played like that for quite a while, sometimes you get some scoring, sometimes you don't," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. Montreal had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a stunning 10-0 beating at Columbus, but rebounded with one-goal victories over Philadelphia and Boston to open its four-game road trip. Carey Price was in net for both victories, stretching his regular-season winning streak to 11 dating to last season.
TV: 7:30 ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE KINGS (7-6-0): Goaltender Peter Budaj, who started the season in the minors before injuries to Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff, will be returning to the city where he spent three seasons as a backup, appearing in 54 games (48 starts) with Montreal from 2011-14. Budaj has started 10 consecutive games for the Kings and is coming off consecutive shutouts. "It’s great, this team has been playing really well in front of me and I think we’re working really hard and working together," Budaj said.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (11-1-1): Montreal nosedived when Price suffered a season-ending injury a year ago in late November, but he is off an an 8-0-0 start with a 1.63 goals-against average. Price's superb play has masked a bigger issue on the defensive end -- the Canadiens have permitted a staggering 163 shots on goal over the past four games, prompting a reminder from forward Alexander Radulov that Price is "not an ironman." In five starts against Los Angeles, Price owns a 4-1-0 record and 2.49 GAA.
OVERTIME
1. Radulov has six points in his last four games overall and eight in eight contests against Los Angeles.
2. The Kings are 0-for-18 with the man advantage over the past six games.
3. Montreal has allowed seven power-play goals in 12 chances over the past three games.