After doubling up on the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 6-3 on Thursday night, the suddenly red-hot Montreal Canadiens will look to sweep the home-and-home as they visit the Bell Centre on Saturday night.
The Canadiens (12-12-3) are on a roll as of late, winning four in a row for the first time this season, and hope to make it five. On Thursday night in Detroit, Brendan Gallagher led the charge with a pair of goals, plus an assist for the first three-point game of the season for the 25-year-old winger. Gallagher’s 12 goals currently lead the team, and his next tally will be career number 100 for him.
Charles Hudon, Andrew Shaw, Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal, and Carey Price made 28 saves for the victory. Price has gone 4-0 since his return from injury, and is also expected to start this evening’s game.
For tonight’s game, forward Jonathan Drouin, who missed Thursday’s action is questionable to be back in the lineup, and defenceman Shea Weber, who has missed his team’s last six games with a lower-body injury, will be a game-time decision.
Blue-liner Brandon Davidson is also expected to be placed on waivers as of noon today.
For the Red Wings (10-11-5), their loss on Thursday was their sixth in a row (0-3-3), having not won since November 17 versus Buffalo. They had a solid outing from Quebec native Anthony Mantha, who had a goal and an assist versus his hometown team in a losing effort. Mantha and teammate Dylan Larkin are co-leaders in points for Detroit, each with 22 points through the team’s first 26 games.
Montreal’s winning streak is their longest since they won five in a row from March 25 to April 3 of last season. Their strong play has boosted them up to third place in the Atlantic Division, one point up on the rival Boston Bruins.
Puck drop at the Bell Centre is at 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST.
How to watch
In Canada: Sportsnet, Sportsnet Now (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Red Wings region: FS-D
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL GameCentre Live, NHL Center Ice
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Max Pacioretty | Phillip Danault | Andrew Shaw |
| Charles Hudon | Tomas Plekanec | Brendan Gallagher |
| Alex Galchenyuk | Jacob de la Rose | Paul Byron |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | Byron Froese | Daniel Carr |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Jordie Benn | Shea Weber |
| Karl Alzner | Jeff Petry |
| Victor Mete | David Schlemko |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Carey Price |
| Antti Niemi |
Scratched: Joe Morrow, Jakub Jerabek
Injuries: Ales Hemsky (concussion-like symptoms), Al Montoya (concussion), Nikita Scherbak (lower body), Artturi Lehkonen (lower body), Jonathan Drouin (lower body)
Detroit Red Wings projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Gustav Nyquist | Henrik Zetterberg | Andreas Athanasiou |
| Anthony Mantha | Dylan Larkin | Tomas Tatar |
| Darren Helm | Frans Nielsen | Justin Abdelkader |
| Scott Wilson | Luke Glendening | Martin Frk |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Danny DeKeyser | Mike Green |
| Jonathan Ericsson | Trevor Daley |
| Niklas Kronwall | Nick Jensen |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Petr Mrazek |
| Jimmy Howard |
