MTL@TOR: Five things you need to know

MONTREAL - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Monday night's preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

1. Monday night's contest between the Atlantic Division rivals will mark the first of three meetings between the two clubs over a 10-day span. After going head-to-head again in a preseason matchup on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre, Claude Julien's contingent will head back to Toronto to open the regular season on Wednesday, October 3.
2. Following his standout performance in the Canadiens' most recent preseason outing on Saturday, Finnish phenom Jesperi Kotkaniemi will get another shot to audition in front of the Habs' brass on Monday night. The 18-year-old center will be playing his fourth exhibition game. Up front, fellow young gun Nick Suzuki will also play. Antti Niemi will get the start in goal and will play the entire game.

3. Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock won't be featuring any of his major offensive weapons against the Canadiens on Monday night, with the likes of John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau slated to watch from the sidelines as Toronto continues their evaluation process. Curtis McElhinney and Garret Sparks will be the goaltenders in uniform.

4. Two players in the Canadiens' lineup on Monday night previously sported Maple Leafs colors - forward Byron Froese and defenseman Rinat Valiev. Both players also spent time with the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
5. Puck drop on Monday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on TV on TSN2 and RDS, as well as on the radio on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm.