Lightning have best record in NHL (20-6-4), while Habs rank 31st in overall standings (7-21-3), three points ahead of last-place Arizona.
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Here are five things you should know about Tuesday’s game between the Canadiens (7-21-3) and the Lightning (20-6-4) at Amalie Arena in Tampa (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
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Stanley Cup rematch: This will be the second game this season between the Stanley Cup finalists from last season after the Lightning beat the Canadiens 3-2 on Dec. 7 at the Bell Centre. Former Canadien Corey Perry scored in that game and has 6-6-12 totals in 30 games this season with Tampa. The Lightning have the best record in the NHL, while the Canadiens rank 31st in the overall standings, three points ahead of the last-place Arizona Coyotes (6-21-2), who hold two games in hand. The Canadiens, who beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout in their last game on Dec. 16, will be looking to win two games in a row for the first time this season.
Stamkos leads Lightning: Captain Steven Stamkos leads the Lightning in scoring with 14-21-35 totals and ranks sixth in the NHL scoring race. The Lightning’s Victor Hedman ranks first among NHL defencemen in scoring with 7-24-31 totals. Montreal native Alex Killorn ranks third on the Lightning in scoring with 9-16-25 totals. Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 6-12-18 totals, which has him tied for 123rd in NHL scoring. Chris Wideman leads Canadiens defencemen with 2-7-9 totals, which has him tied for 83rd among NHL defencemen.
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Back on Point: Lightning forward Brayden Point will return to the lineup against the Canadiens after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. “Getting close, feeling pretty good,” Point said Monday. “I’m still a little rusty, obviously, but I think everyone is coming off that Christmas break. I’m excited to be taking full reps in practice and I’m really looking forward to getting back playing.” Point had 7-6-13 totals in 16 games before being injured. The Lightning had an 11-2-1 record without him. “When the team is winning it makes it easier,” Point said. The Lightning are still missing forward Nikita Kucherov, who had surgery on Oct. 26 for a lower-body injury.
Goalie problems: Goalie Jake Allen was one of five players the Canadiens placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list Monday, along with defencemen Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry and Chris Wideman. Those five players join forwards Laurent Dauphin, Mike Hoffman, Artturi Lehkonen and Tyler Toffoli, who were already on the list. The Canadiens called up goalie Cayden Primeau from the AHL’s Laval Rocket to take Allen’s spot on the roster and also called up goalie Michael McNiven, who was placed on the taxi squad. Samuel Montembeault will start in goal against the Lightning. Both Lightning goalies — Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliott — are on the COVID-19 protocol list, along with forwards Anthony Cirelli and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and defencemen Mikhail Sergachev and Andrej Sustr. Maxime Lagace, who has been playing for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, will start in goal against the Canadiens. Lagace has a 3-3-0 record with a 3.86 goals-against average and a .861 save percentage in the AHL.
Canadiens at Lightning: Five things you should know - Montreal Gazette
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