Canadiens aiming to extend winning hex over Maple Leafs

The Montreal Canadiens have won 14 straight games over Toronto since 2014. Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Maple Leafs game at the Bell Centre on Saturday night (7 p.m., CBC).

LONELIEST NUMBER

As Three Dog Night reminded us, that would be one and that’s the number of goals the Canadiens have averaged over their first four games. That’s not going to win many games unless the goaltenders come up with a shutout and that isn’t happening. The Canadiens have outshot the opposition in three of the four games, but have connected on fewer than three per cent of their shots.

AND ANOTHER...

That would be zero, as in nothing, zilch, nada. That’s what the Canadiens’ power play has produced this season, going 0-for-14. Alex Galchenyuk missed practice Friday with flu-like symptoms and that might be serendipitous because Shea Weber moved into his spot on the power play, which sets him up for a onetimer closer to the net. Victor Mete joined the top unit as the quarterback on the left point.

QUESTION MARKS

Galchenyuk’s status will be addressed Saturday morning and the Canadiens will also look at the possibility of dressing defenceman David Schlemko. He’s been out since the start of training camp with a bruised hand, but has been cleared for action and was slated to play for the AHL Laval Rocket on Friday night. There’s room for Schlemko on the roster because veteran Mark Streit cleared waivers at noon Friday and was assigned to Laval.

MISMATCH IN THE MAKING

While the Canadiens have scored four goals on the season, the Leafs are averaging 5.4 goals a game. Toronto has jumped off to a 3-1-0 record, but their 6-3 loss to New Jersey was a reminder that the defence isn’t where coach Mike Babcock wants it to be. The Leafs are giving up four goals a game, which might be the cure for Montreal’s offensive ills.

STARS ON PARADE

The Leafs are led by last season’s rookie-of-the-year Auston Matthews, but Toronto features a balanced attack. No Leafs appear in the top 10 on the NHL scoring list, but Matthews is tied for 14th with six points, including three goals. Nikita Zaitsev and James van Riemsdyk each have five points, while Nazem Kadri, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Marleau have four points each.