#MTLHockey Preview
Match Up
The Canadiens (7-1-0) head west to open a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Oilers (3-4-1) Monday night. The game starts at 9:30 and can be seen on RDS and Sportsnet.This is the first of two meetings between the Habs and Oilers, Edmonton will come to Montreal in February to complete the series. Last season the teams split their season series, the Habs scored a 4-1 win in Edmonton, while the Oilers took a 4-3 decision in Montreal less than two weeks later.
What to Watch
The Canadiens' penalty kill was working well during their home-stand. The Canadiens killed off 11 of 12 power plays in the last four games and added a short-handed goal in Saturday's match against the Rangers. Max Pacioretty set up Tomas Plekanec for the short-handed marker and added a goal to give him seven points on the year, six of which came in the last four games.The Oilers have plenty of scoring threats up front including Taylor Hall (4g, 3a), Jordan Eberle (2g, 4a) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3g, 1a), but the team still struggles to keep goals out of their own net. The team is middle of the pack in terms of goals for, but with an average of 3.88 goals against per game, they're dead last in the NHL in that department.
What's at Stake
The Canadiens can have first place in the NHL all to themselves with a win or OT loss on Monday. The Habs were a perfect 4-0-0 at home and will look to extend their four-game win streak with a strong showing against the Oilers, who sit in last place in the Pacific division.Who's Out
Brendan Gallagher missed some of Saturday's game but returned in time to help the Habs close out a 3-1 win over the Rangers. Aside for that the Canadiens have been healthy, meaning Michel Therrien has had to make some difficult line-up decision. Nathan Beaulieu hasn't seen action since the team's 7-1 loss in Tampa prior to their home-stand, while Jiri Sekac has missed the last two games.Edmonton is missing winger Luke Gazdic (shoulder) and goalie Viktor Fasth (groin).
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