Predators at Canadiens
Just when it appeared the Montreal Canadiens were about to relinquish their hold on first place in the Atlantic Division, they have rebounded with their longest winning streak since rattling off three straight victories to open the new year. Montreal goes for its fourth win in a row when it hosts the surging Nashville Predators on Thursday.
The Canadiens kicked off 2017 -- and their previous three-game winning streak -- with a 2-1 overtime victory in Nashville. That marked the first matchup between Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber and Predators blue-liner P.K. Subban since they were traded for one another in the offseason. "It will be an emotional one and people are going to talk about the trade, but those two points, those are going to be two very, very important points for both teams," Subban said of making his first appearance at Bell Centre since the trade. While Montreal has squeezed out three straight OT wins, Nashville arrives in town riding a season-high four-game winning streak.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), Sportsnet, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (32-22-9): Nashville has scored 19 times during its four-game run behind the dazzling exploits of Filip Forsberg, who kept up his blistering pace with two goals in Tuesday's 5-4 win at Buffalo to give him 10 tallies in his last five contests. The Predators made a move at the trade deadline, acquiring veteran forward P.A. Parenteau from New Jersey on Wednesday. Parenteau's Nashville debut will be delayed by a finger injury that will keep sidelined for the next two games.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (35-21-8): Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin did not make any blockbuster moves, but added five players in three days after acquiring forward Dwight King (Los Angeles) and Andreas Martinsen (Colorado) on Wednesday. Bergevin specifically targeted the 6-foot-4, 232-pound King and the 6-3, 220-pound Martinsen. "We wanted more physical players and guys with size, without losing speed," Bergevin said. "We didn't lose any and we managed to add size and weight to our team."
OVERTIME
1. The Predators are 6-for-13 on the power play over the past three games.
2. Canadiens G Carey Price is 3-3-1 with a 2.09 goals-against average versus Nashville.
3. Forsberg, the NHL's Second Star of the Week, has one goal in six games against Montreal.