MTL@NSH: Five things you need to know

NASHVILLE - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Thursday night's game against the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

1. The Canadiens haven't played since last Saturday night when they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. That snapped the Habs' three-game winning streak. Thursday night's contest in Music City will mark the start of a three-game road trip, that also includes matchups against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers. The Canadiens' fourth line will certainly be of interest, as newcomers Dale Weise and Nate Thompson will join Nicolas Deslauriers. Weise, of course, previously played for the Canadiens, suiting up for 152 games between the 2013-14 and 2015-16 campaigns.

2. Thursday night's matchup is a special one for captain Shea Weber. It isn't just a game against his former squad, but the 900th game of his NHL career as well. The 33-year-old defenseman played the bulk of those games in a Predators uniform, of course. Weber will be the 16th active NHL blueliner with at least 900 games under their belt. The Sicamous, BC native played 11 season in Nashville before being dealt to the Canadiens in June 2016. He served as captain for his final six seasons in Tennessee. Weber has nine goals and 21 points in 32 games so far this season.

3. The Predators are winless in their last three games and are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night in Nashville. Ryan Johansen leads Peter Laviolette's squad with 41 assists and 52 points on the year, while Viktor Arvidsson boasts a team-leading 25 goals. This will be the second and final regular-season matchup between the two clubs. Back on January 5, the Predators handed the Canadiens a 4-1 loss at the Bell Centre. Pekka Rinne will get the start in goal for Nashville on Thursday night.
4. Max Domi's seventh multi-assist effort of the season last Saturday night brought him to within just one point of reaching the 50-point plateau for the second time in his career. He last accomplished the feat in his rookie season with the Arizona Coyotes when he closed out the campaign with 52 points in 81 games. Domi will undoubtedly surpass that mark and set a brand new career-high with plenty of hockey left to be played before the regular season ends. While Domi is still looking for his first career goal versus Nashville, he does have three assists against the Predators in nine previous encounters.

5. Puck drop on Thursday night is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST. You can watch the game on TSN2 and RDS, and listen to all the action on the radio on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm. Following the game, the Canadiens will travel to Tampa where they'll battle the League-leading Lightning on Saturday night at Amalie Arena.