Music: {allcanada} DUCKS (21-7-5) at CANADIENS (20-10-2)

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

{allcanada} DUCKS (21-7-5) at CANADIENS (20-10-2)

White Christmas - Martina McBride

Thursday, December 18, 2014

7:30 PM ET

DUCKS (21-7-5) at CANADIENS (20-10-2)

TV: PRIME, RDS, CITYM

Season series: The Montreal Canadiens swept the Anaheim Ducks in 2013-14, winning 4-1 at Bell Centre and 4-3 in a shootout at Honda Center.

Ducks team scope: Forward Kyle Palmieri sustained a shoulder injury Tuesday in a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and will miss at least the final two games of Anaheim's road trip. Forward Emerson Etem has been called up from Norfolk of the American Hockey League and skated with Matt Beleskey and Ryan Kesler on Wednesday, according to the Orange County Register. Anaheim's NHL-best seven-game winning streak ended. "I don't think we deserved to lose by that much," Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said afterward. "I thought we had most of the play. We gave them easy goals at the end of the game, but we held most of the play." Defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who hasn't played since Nov. 25 because of a broken finger, is nearing his return but is unlikely to play.

Canadiens team scope: Montreal will honor longtime captain and former Anaheim Ducks forward Saku Koivu, but any momentum the Canadiens pick up from the ceremony may be unnecessary. Montreal has won the first three games of its five-game homestand by a combined score of 13-4, including a 6-2 win against the defending-champion Los Angeles Kings on Friday and a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. "I think we're coming together as a team," defenseman Mike Weaver said after practice Wednesday. "With [Carey Price] in net you're able to have those huge stops, but we can't rely on him. I thought we capitalized on our chances." Weaver has not played since sustaining a concussion Dec. 6 against the Dallas Stars. The Canadiens' hot streak has pulled them into a tie with the Detroit Red Wings for second place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Team Stats