Canadiens vs. Bruins: Game Thread, roster, lines, and how to watch

Last week could have gone very differently for the Montreal Canadiens. With Carey Price sidelined for at least a week, and the top line not scoring, the Canadiens could have succumbed to this adversity and had an excuse for not winning games. But, as this is a team with "no excuses," Mike Condon, Dale Weise, David Desharnais, and a number of other players stepped up to lead the Habs to a record of 2-0-1 this week.

After going on a run of seven games without a regulation loss (6-0-1), the Boston Bruins are coming into Montreal on a two-game slide with losses to the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals. The Bruins sit among a group of six teams in the Atlantic Division who have five to seven wins.

While the Habs have their leading-goal scorer in Dale Weise, the Bruins have relied on David Krejci, who, along with linemate Loui Eriksson, have supplied the majority of the Bruins' offense this season with 11 goals between them. Krejci is currently sixth in the NHL in points with 15 (one more than Tomas Plekanec). The Bruins actually score the second-most goals-for-per-game in the league, slightly below the Canadiens at a rate of 3.58. If the Bruins falter, it's that they have one of the highest goals-against-per-game in the league (28th) at 3.33.

The Habs have made no changes to the lineup that provided them with a 4-1 win on Thursday against the New York Islanders. Zdeno Chara will see the Habs for the first time this season as the behemoth defenseman missed their first encounter.

Jonas Gustavsson will get the start over Tuukka Rask tonight, as Rask has historically struggled against the Habs. The Canadiens have won six straight regular season games against the Bruins going back to 2013-14, by a combined score of 20-8.

The puck drops at 7:00 PM EST.

How To Watch:

In the Canadiens' region (French): TVA Sports
In the Canadiens' region (English): Sportsnet
In the Bruins' region: NESN
In the United States: NHLN-US
Elsewhere: NHL GameCenter, NHL Center Ice

Scratched: Jarred Tinordi, Alexander Semin
Injuries: Carey Price (lower body), Michael Bournival (post-concussion syndrome)

Scratched: Zach Trotman, Zac Rinaldo
Injuries: Chris Kelly (broken femur), David Pastrnak (foot), Dennis Seidenberg (back surgery)

Check out the enemy over at Stanley Cup of Chowder.

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