MTL@CGY: Five things you need to know

CALGARY - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Thursday night's matchup against the Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

1. The Canadiens kicked off their Western Canada road trip on a high note earlier in the week with a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Nick Cousins, Tomas Tatar and Shea Weber scored for Montreal, while Carey Price turned aside 38 shots in a solid performance in between the pipes. The goals by Tatar and Weber came early in the third period - and both were scored on the power play - putting the Habs ahead for good to the delight of the large number of supporters in attendance. Tatar extended his goal streak to four straight games, while Weber's point streak now stands at four games as well. Joel Armia also collected his 100th and 101st career NHL points in the win with a pair of assists. Max Domi had a couple of assists, too.

2. Shortly before Thursday morning's optional skate, head coach Claude Julien confirmed that he'd be sticking with the same lineup that bested the Canucks. That means that defenseman Mike Reilly will play his second straight game. No doubt it will a special contest for fellow rearguard Brett Kulak, who will make his first appearance in Calgary since being acquired from the Flames in October 2018. An Edmonton native, Kulak appeared in 101 regular-season games with Calgary over four seasons.

3. The first three starts of Price's career in Calgary didn't exactly go as planned. He came out on the wrong side of the scoresheet each time. But, the 13-year NHL veteran has won his last three outings at the Scotiabank Saddledome, including a 43-save effort in his most recent start on November 15, 2018. Price has allowed just five goals on 101 shots during the streak for an impressive .948 save percentage.

4.The Flames suffered their second straight loss on Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Calgary. After Johnny Gaudreau opened the scoring in the first period, Pittsburgh responded with four unanswered markers to secure the victory - including the 400th goal of Evgeni Malkin's NHL career. Geoff Ward's squad has been playing good hockey of late, though, with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. They've also been quite good on home ice, boasting a 10-5-2 record thus far this year. Centerman Sean Monahan leads the Flames with 28 points (10g, 18a), while Matthew Tkachuk (12g, 15a) and Gaudreau (10g, 17a) rank second in that department with 27 points each.
5. Puck drop on Thursday night is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on TSN2, Sportsnet West and RDS, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. Following the contest, the Canadiens will travel to Edmonton where they'll battle the Oilers on Saturday at Rogers Place.