Five things you should know when the Devils come to the Bell Centre Thursday (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio),
1. The matchup
The Canadiens are wrapping up a five-game homestand, which hasn’t gone as well as planned. Montreal is 1-2-1 in this stretch and lost its last three to drop out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Devils are in better shape after ending the Los Angeles Kings’ eight-game win streak with a 5-1 win Wednesday in Newark. The win moved the surprising Devils back into third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 17-9-4 record. The Devils are an impressive 10-4-2 on the road.
2. The puck stops here
Carey Price was dynamite this month when he and the Canadiens went on a five-game winning streak, but has struggled in the past three games, giving up 11 goals and getting pulled after he gave up four goals on 14 shots in Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Edmonton. He has an 8-9-2 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage on the season. The Devils will start Cory Schneider. His 2.64 goals-against average isn’t great, but he has a solid .920 save percentage to go with his 12-6-3 record.
3. Fourth line rides Carr
One of the few bright spots for the Canadiens the past two weeks has been the fourth line, led by Daniel Carr. He has a point in each of the five games he has played since being recalled from the Laval Rocket. During Wednesday’s practice, Carr was placed on the No. 2 power-play unit with Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry. The power play is where the Canadiens miss Andrei Markov’s skill as a quarterback. The Canadiens rank 20th with a 17.82 per cent success rate.
4. No Taylor Hall
The Canadiens get one break in this game — they won’t have to face Taylor Hall, the Devils’ leading scorer. Hall scored two goals in Wednesday’s win over the Kings, but left the game after a knee-on-knee collision with the Kings’ Kurtis MacDermid. Devils coach John Hynes said Hall suffered a bruised knee, but there is no structural damage. Hall leads the Devils with 11 goals and 31 points. The Devils also announced Marcus Johnsson has been placed on injured reserve with a bruised ankle. Kyle Palmieri, who has missed 11 games with a broken foot, will travel to Montreal but will not play.
5. Busy schedule ahead
The Canadiens are going on the road for seven games starting with Saturday’s NHL 100 Classic outdoor game against the Senators at TD Place. This isn’t good news because: (a) the Canadiens don’t have a good record in this annual pilgrimage around the Christmas holiday; (b) the trip includes a three-game swing through Western Canada, where the Canadiens have struggled; and (c) the Canadiens have a 5-71 record on the road this season.