Canadiens at Predators
Although Shea Weber competed in his 800th game in his last outing, the veteran defenseman could be playing in the most emotional contest of his NHL career on Tuesday as the Montreal Canadiens visit the Nashville Predators. A two-time Canadian Olympian and four-time NHL All-Star, Weber spent the first 11 seasons of his decorated career in Music City before being traded to Montreal for fellow blue-liner P.K. Subban on June 29.
"It will be weird for me to get ready for a game on that side of the arena for sure," Weber said of the Atlantic Division-leading Canadiens, who have dropped four of five overall and are 1-1-2 to begin a seven-game road trip. "It's tough to say what I'm going to feel because I don't know right now." To a man, Nashville felt elation after snapping a three-game skid with a decisive 4-0 shutout of St. Louis to end the calendar year. Filip Forsberg scored a goal in his third straight contest and has six points (five goals, one assist) in his last six games to move within four of team leader Ryan Johansen (27).
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NHL.TV, Sportsnet East, RDS (Montreal), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (22-9-6): While Carey Price is expected to get the nod in Nashville, fellow goaltender Al Montoya received a vote of confidence by signing a two-year contract extension worth $2.125 million on Monday - just six months after inking a one-year deal. The 31-year-old, who could've become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, owns a 4-4-2 mark with a 2.74 goals-against average. Paul Byron has been providing offense regardless if Price or Montoya is in goal, scoring and setting up a goal in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Pittsburgh to increase his point total to 11 (five goals, six assists) in the past 12 games.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (16-14-6): While Weber has punched his ticket for a return to Bridgestone Arena, Subban will not be there to greet him on the ice Tuesday. Subban was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body ailment that is expected to sideline him for two-to-three weeks. "P.K. is going to be back, in my mind, in the next couple of weeks," general manager David Poile said. "Hopefully if I get that date wrong, he's still coming back. It's not like he's not coming back." Rookie Juuse Saros might be back in net after turning aside all 25 shots he faced in his first career shutout, improving his goals-against average to 1.16 and his save percentage to a lofty .957 in six starts.
OVERTIME
1. Nashvlle C Mike Ribeiro, who notched two assists versus the Blues to snap a seven-game point drought, has collected 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 13 career games against a Montreal team that selected him in the second round of the 1998 draft.
2. Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty has recorded 15 (10 goals, five assists) of his team-leading 30 points in his last 13 games.
3. Seventeen (four goals, 13 assists) of Johansen's points have been recorded at home this season.