CANADIENS (24-9-6) at MAPLE LEAFS (18-12-8)
7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVA Sports, NHL.TV
Canadiens team scope
Forward Alex Galchenyuk and defenseman Andrei Markov each practiced on Friday and participated in the Montreal Canadiens optional morning skate on Saturday but will not be in the line up against the Toronto Maple Leafs. "They're close but they're not ready for tonight," coach Michel Therrien said. Forward Nikita Scherbak will make his NHL debut. "Obviously I'm nervous but I can control my emotions hopefully before the game but it's a good nervous," Scherbak said. "It's not like I'm nervous about something, it's a good nervous because this is a dream." The 21-year-old was selected by the Canadiens (No. 26) in the 2014 NHL Draft. "He's got to adjust to the pace of the NHL, we know he has some skills," Therrien said. "That's part of the process for young players, you look at him this year compared to last year, he's improved a lot." The Canadiens have earned points in five consecutive games, going beyond regulation in each game. They are 3-0-2 during that stretch. A win would give Therrien 400 career victories as an NHL coach.
Maple Leafs team scope
Frederik Andersen will make back-to-back starts for the third time this season, following a 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. In two previous games this season, the Maple Leafs lost each game, 2-1, to the Canadiens. "We've had 2 good games with them," coach Mike Babcock said. "They find a way to win all the time. We've got to get tired of that and find a way to win ourselves." Babcock cautioned his players not to take the Canadiens lightly, even though they are dealing with injuries. "I think two parts, one is you look at the line up and you say, 'oh they're missing guys,' but the second part is they're all on audition for a job every night," Babcock said. "They've got a chance right now some guys to play more, they work, they compete, they know they've got to. They're a lunch bucket group; they get out there and really compete." Toronto will try to extend its streak to eight consecutive games earning at least one point (6-0-1). "I don't think we're really thinking about who's in or who's out for them," defenseman Morgan Reilly said. "We're approaching this like it's a huge two points because it is. We have a good thing going and we're not taking any games for granted or taking any nights off. We're coming in tonight with a killer instinct and we're going to try to win this thing."
Canadiens projected lineup
Max Pacioretty -- Phillip Danault -- Alexander Radulov
Artturi Lehkonen -- Tomas Plekanec -- Sven Andrighetto
Daniel Carr -- Torrey Mitchell -- Brian Flynn
Bobby Farnham -- Michael McCarron -- Nikita Scherbak
Mark Barberio -- Ryan Johnston
Scratched: Zach Redmond, Chris Terry
Injured: Brendan Gallagher (hand), David Desharnais (knee), Alex Galchenyuk (knee), Andrew Shaw (concussion), Andrei Markov (groin), Paul Byron (upper-body)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
James van Riemsdyk -- Tyler Bozak -- Mitchell Marner
Leo Komarov -- Nazem Kadri -- William Nylander
Zach Hyman -- Auston Matthews -- Connor Brown
Matt Martin -- Frederik Gauthier -- Nikita Soshnikov
Morgan Rielly -- Nikita Zaitsev
Jake Gardiner -- Connor Carrick
Frederik Andersen
Antoine Bibeau
Scratched: Josh Leivo, Frank Corrado
Injured: Ben Smith (upper-body), Martin Marincin (lower-body)
Status report
The Canadiens announced on Friday that Gallagher will be out a minimum of eight weeks after having surgery to repair a fractured left hand. He sustained the injury when he was hit on the hand by a Shea Weber shot in a 4-3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. ... Smith and Marincin both skated on Saturday but Babcock said they aren't close to returning.
Who's hot
Pacioretty scored twice against Dallas on Wednesday and has four goals in his past four games, including the past two in overtime. ... Radulov is on a five-game point streak (three goals, three assists). ... Beaulieu scored and had two assists against Dallas and has five points in his past four games. ... Brown has three goals and two assists in his past three games. ... Matthews extended his point streak to eight games with a goal against the Devils on Friday. He has seven goals and five assists during that stretch.
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