MONTREAL — The Canadiens (9-9-1) open a two-game road trip with a date against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7-10-1) on Wednesday before traveling to Chicago on Friday.
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Here’s everything you need to know heading into the matchup:
1. Wednesday’s game is the second half of a back-to-back. The Canadiens dropped a 7-2 decision to the Buffalo Sabers at the Bell Center on Tuesday and will be looking to bounce back with a win in Columbus. So far this season, Montreal is 1-1-0 in the second game of back-to-backs.
2. Cole Caufield and Sean Monahan found the back of the net for the Habs on Tuesday. The former has five points in his last five games while the latter has four over that same span. Caufield’s tally was his 12th of the season, giving him sole possession of the lead in that category among his teammates – and ranking him sixth-overall League-wide.
Video: Condensed Game: Sabers @ Canadiens
3. The Blue Jackets enjoyed a pair of nights off after besting the Florida Panthers at home on Sunday. Brad Larsen’s squad won 5-3 in a contest which saw goaltender Daniil Tarasov face 50 shots. Yegor Chinakhov, Kent Johnson, Sean Kuraly, Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner were the goalscorers for Columbus, who currently sits 14th in the Eastern Conference, behind Philadelphia and Washington. The Habs return to Columbus looking to avenge a 6-4 loss last Thursday in the Ohio capital.
4. With two games in as many nights, the Canadiens will not hold a morning skate on Wednesday. Head coach Martin St-Louis will address the media closer to puck drop to share any potential changes to his lineup. Fans can watch the pregame press conference live by following the team on Twitter and Facebook.
5. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET at Nationwide Arena. Catch all the action on TSN2 and RDS, or tune in on the radio on TSN 690 and 98.5 fm.
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