What to expect when the red-hot Blue Jackets come calling

Here are developments worth watching during Monday’s game between the Montreal Canadiens (9-12-3) and Columbus (15-7-1) at the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690), writes Stu Cowan.

1. Goalie showdown

Carey Price looked like Carey Price again Saturday night, stopping all 36 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres and being named the first star after missing the previous 10 games with a lower-body injury. Price, who now has a 4-7-1 record with a 3.44 goals-against average and .890 save percentage, will face a tough opponent in the Blue Jackets net. Sergei Bobrovsky has a 14-4-1 record with a 1.91 goalsagainst average and a .936 save percentage. Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots when the Blue Jackets beat the Canadiens 2-1 on an overtime goal by defenceman Zach Werenski on Nov. 14 at the Bell Centre. Charlie Lindgren was in goal for the Canadiens that night, stopping 23 of 25 shots.

2. Slumping forwards

Alex Galchenyuk ended an 11game goalless drought when he scored against the Sabres, but there are a few other Canadiens forwards still mired in scoring slumps. Jonathan Drouin, who had two assists against the Sabres, hasn’t scored a goal in his last eight games and has only one in his last 17. Jacob De La Rose has yet to register a point in the 15 games he has played, Phillip Danault hasn’t scored a goal in 13 games, Charles Hudon hasn’t scored in 11 games, and Tomas Plekanec has gone 10 games without a goal.

3. Injury report

Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber, who has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, didn’t practise Sunday and it’s uncertain if he will play against the Blue Jackets. Weber has 4-9-13 totals in 20 games and is minus-7 while averaging a team-high 26:07 of ice time. Defenceman David Schlemko, who has yet to play this season after breaking his hand at training camp, practised Sunday after playing two games on the weekend with the AHL’s Laval Rocket and is very close to suiting up with the Canadiens.

4. Filling the void

With Weber out of the lineup, Canadiens defenceman Jeff Petry had a team-high 24:16 of ice time against the Sabres, scored a power-play goal and was plus-1. Petry, who has 3-3-6 totals in 24 games, has struggled defensively this season with a minus-11. Defenceman Joe Morrow was second in ice time against the Sabres with 23:19, while Karl Alzner played 22:59, Jordie Benn logged 20:27, Jakub Jerabek played 15:38, and rookie Victor Mete played 11:20.

5. Blue Jackets on a roll

The Blue Jackets are on a sixgame winning streak during which they have outscored their opponents 15-6. Artemi Panarin leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 5-10-15 totals, followed by Oliver Bjorkstrand (5-9-14), Josh Anderson (8-4-12) and defencemen Werenski (6-6-12) and Seth Jones (3-9-12). Werenski is only 20 and Jones is 23. Jones, a 6-foot-4, 210-pounder, leads the Blue Jackets with 70 shots on goal while averaging a team-high 24:08 of ice time and is plus-7. Werenski, 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, is also plus-7 while averaging 22:21 of ice time.