Music: {allcanada} CANADIENS (21-14-3) at PANTHERS (20-12-4)

Monday, December 28, 2015

{allcanada} CANADIENS (21-14-3) at PANTHERS (20-12-4)

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

7:30 PM ET

CANADIENS (21-14-3) at PANTHERS (20-12-4)

TV: RDS, SN-E, FS-F

Season series: The Montreal Canadiens were 4-0-1 against the Florida Panthers in 2014-15. Two of Montreal's wins came after regulation. Brendan Gallagher had four goals for the Canadiens, and Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban each had a goal and three assists. Jonathan Huberdeau had six assists for the Panthers, and Aleksander Barkov had three goals and an assist.

Canadiens team scope: Goaltender Ben Scrivens, acquired Monday in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers for forward Zack Kassian, will start, coach Michel Therrien said. Rookie Mike Condon made 36 saves in a 4-3 shootout win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. The victory, which ended Montreal's six-game losing streak, moved the Canadiens past the Panthers and back into first place in the Atlantic Division. "We've played a lot of good hockey and didn't get the results," Therrien said. "We were ready to play. It's nice to see the big smile and hear the music after the game. It was well-deserved." Scrivens has not played in the NHL this season but is 42-56-17 in 129 regular-season games over five seasons with the Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was 2-6-1 with a 3.47 goals-against average and .893 save percentage for Bakersfield of the American Hockey League this season.

Panthers team scope: Florida has won six games in a row, including the first three of a six-game homestand. It is the Panthers' second winning streak of at least five games this season; they won five straight Nov. 27-Dec. 4. "We had a little bit of a slow, or maybe an average start. For almost a month and a bit now, it's no fluke that we're doing really well," defenseman Aaron Ekblad told the Panthers website after a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. "It's not like we've been doing well for a week. We've been on a couple of five-, six-game win streaks. We're really learning to carry that momentum and play good defensive hockey that leads to great offensive chances." The Panthers haven't won seven straight games, the longest streak in their history, since March 2008. Center Nick Bjugstad on Monday participated in his first full practice since being sidelined by migraines Nov. 30, but he will remain out of the lineup. "It's his first full practice," coach Gerard Gallant told the Sun Sentinel. "We'll see how he feels again after. He's had two real good days, and today's the third, so hopefully he keeps continuing. Like I said, there is no timeline with it. We just want to make sure he feels good."

Team Stats