MTL@CGY: Five things you need to know

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

1. Head coach Claude Julien described Tuesday night's 6-2 loss in Edmonton as the "worst game of the season" so far, making Thursday night's contest in Calgary a big one. The Canadiens will have to find a way to correct the key mistakes that have afforded their opponents prime scoring opportunities of late, and subsequently made them pay. At practice on Wednesday, Julien stressed the importance of getting back to doing the little things right. "We've slipped a lot in parts of our game which allows other teams to get more offense going and more scoring chances, and we're giving up more goals," mentioned the Habs' bench boss. "It's little details that teams pay attention to that makes the difference, and we've slipped away from those." Both Carey Price and Antti Niemi need the assistance of those charged with playing in front of them, which is something Julien emphasized as well. "We aren't doing the right things that we did at the beginning of the year that kept the scoring chances down," he explained. "That's what we have to do to help our goalie, and our goalie will make the saves to help us. That's why we're called a team."

2. Speaking of the Habs' netminders, Price will get the start in goal on Thursday night after watching Niemi play the last two games against Vegas and Edmonton, respectively. In 12 career games against Calgary, Price owns a 6-5-1 record, along with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and one shutout. He bested the Flames earlier this season, turning aside 21 of 23 shots in a 3-2 win on October 23rd at the Bell Centre. Following Thursday's morning skate, Julien confirmed only one additional lineup change. Xavier Ouellet draws back in on defense after being a healthy scratch for the last two games. Mike Reilly will be a healthy scratch this time around against Calgary.
3. After scoring his team-leading 10th goal of the season against the Oilers, Max Domi enters Thursday night's game riding a seven-game points streak. During that span, the 23-year-old centerman has collected five goals and 11 points. He leads the Canadiens with 22 points on the year, seven points clear of Tomas Tatar. Domi didn't take part in Wednesday's on-ice session. He was given a therapy day. Meanwhile, Andrew Shaw extended his goal-scoring streak to three straight games with a tally versus Edmonton. Shaw has four goals during that run.

4. For their part, the Flames haven't played since Sunday when they wrapped up a three-game California road trip with a loss in San Jose. Sean Monahan (9g - 10a), Matthew Tkachuk (7g - 12a) and Johnny Gaudreau (6g - 13a) lead Bill Peters' squad with 19 points each through 18 games. Mike Smith will get the start in goal for Calgary on Thursday night. Smith is 4-3-4 in 12 career games against the Canadiens, compiling a 2.39 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
5.Puck drop on Thursday night is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. MT). You can watch all of the action on TSN2, Sportsnet West and RDS, and listen to the game on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. Following the tilt, the Canadiens will fly to Vancouver where they'll close out their road trip with a matchup against the Canucks on Saturday night at Rogers Arena.