Habs aim to end skid against lowly Coyotes

MONTREAL — The Canadiens face the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Thursday night.

Here are five things you need to know about the game:

1 Canadiens in free fall

There’s no other way to describe the team’s performance of late. The Canadiens are winless in four games and have lost five of their last six. The Canadiens have been shut out in their last two games and were totally unprepared for Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, the team with the worst record in the NHL, and lost 4-0.

2 Offence is missing in action

The Canadiens have been among the highest-scoring teams in the NHL this season, averaging 2.9 goals a game. But the offence has dried up in the past week even though the team is as healthy as it has been at any point this season. Montreal has scored three goals in the past four games and the power play is 0-for-11 over five games.

3 Can’t count on Carey

In recent years, goaltender Carey Price has been able to cover up a multitude of sins committed by his teammates. But Price has been mortal during the past month and has won only three of his past 12 starts (3-8-1). He has allowed 40 goals in that span, an average of 3.33 goals a game. His save percentage is an un-Price-like .892.

4 A bad omen

The Coyotes have the second-worst record in the NHL and sportsclubstats.com says they have no chance of making the playoffs, while the Canadiens are at 98.8 per cent. The Canadiens beat the Coyotes 5-2 at the Bell Centre on Oct. 20 but, as the Avalanche proved Tuesday, those earlier losses can serve as a motivation. Montreal beat Colorado 10-1 in their first meeting.

5 The other guys

Martin Hanzal, who has been mentioned as a possible trade deadline acquisition for the Canadiens, has 10 goals and nine assists, but only one assist in his last five games. Radim Vrbata leads the Coyotes with 11 goals and 35 points, while Tobias Rieder also has 11 goals. Veteran captain Shane Doan has five goals and 17 points. Former Canadien Ryan White is still hanging in and has five goals and four assists in 37 games along with a team-high 70 penalty minutes.

— THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price hasn’t been his usual stellar self in recent weeks, posting a 3-8-1 record in his previous 12 starts.