Senators at Canadiens
The Ottawa Senators squandered a golden opportunity to move to the top of the Atlantic Division standings last weekend when they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in a home-and-home set. The Senators have refused to go away, however, and can leapfrog the Canadiens for first place when they pay a visit to Montreal on Saturday night.
The double-dip against the Canadiens extended Ottawa's losing streak to a season high-tying four games (0-2-2), a span in which it produced five goals. The Senators rebounded by squeezing out a 3-2 win at Boston and outlasting defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh 2-1 in a shootout on Thursday, but they still face a rugged challenge as they open a five-game road trip. Montreal wasted a chance to put a vice grip on the first place with back-to-back home losses to last-place Detroit and Carolina. "We have to find some extra motivation," center Phillip Danault said after Thursday's 4-1 setback to the Hurricanes. "This kind of performance won't cut it in the playoffs."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVA Sports, NHL.TV
ABOUT THE SENATORS (41-24-8): Ottawa suffered a major loss in Thursday's victory when defenseman Marc Methot sustained a lacerated finger and will be out for weeks after he was slashed by Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. While Senators captain Erik Karlsson didn't think Crosby's action's were "intentional," and the NHL will not levy discipline, team owner Eugene Melnyk was irate. "I don't care if you're the No. 1 player in the league, you need to sit out a long time for this kind of crap," Melnyk said.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (41-24-9): Alex Galchenyuk was moved off the No. 1 line and shifted to left wing Thursday and responded by ending a nine-game goal drought with the lone tally for Montreal, which has managed one goal in each of the last two games. Coach Claude Julien had Dwight King on the fourth line at Friday's practice but said that unit is not the issue. "It's more in our top three lines we're trying to find stability ... that's going to give up a little bit of offense on each line," Julien said.
OVERTIME
1. Senators G Craig Anderson is expected to start, which will mark his 500th career appearance.
2. Canadiens G Carey Price is 2-1-0 with eight goals allowed in three starts versus Ottawa this season.
3. Senators F Mark Stone, a 22-goal scorer who has missed the past seven games, said he plans to be in the lineup versus Montreal.