MTL@OTT: Five things you need to know

OTTAWA - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Thursday night's game against the Senators.

1. The Canadiens begin a three-game road trip on Thursday night with the back end of a home-and-home series against Guy Boucher's contingent in Ottawa. The Habs handed the Senators a 5-2 loss at the Bell Centre earlier in the week, with Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin leading the way offensively with three points each. By scoring twice and chipping in with an assist as well, Domi became the first Hab to reach the 30-point plateau on the year. For his part, Drouin scored once and assisted on both of Domi's markers to extend his point streak to three straight games. Artturi Lehkonen and Brendan Gallagher lit the lamp as well behind Senators starter Craig Anderson. It was the fourth straight game in which the Canadiens peppered the opposing netminder with at least 40 shots on goal.

2. After besting the Senators with a 28-save performance, Carey Price will once again get the nod in between the pipes. It will mark his sixth straight start. Likewise, Anderson will also get the start in goal again for Ottawa as the Senators look to avenge Tuesday night's defeat in Montreal. In the Canadiens' previous visit to Ottawa on October 20, Price turned aside 30 of 34 shots against in a 4-3 OT loss. It remains to be seen if head coach Claude Julien will be featuring any lineup changes for Thursday night's matchup.
3.Defenseman Noah Juulsen practiced with contact on Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a fractured cheekbone back on November 19 against the Washington Capitals. He accompanied the Canadiens on the road and is hoping to possibly suit up in Chicago on Sunday. That all depends on his discussions with team medical staff. When Juulsen does get the green light, though, he'll be sporting a protective cage on his mask. The 21-year-old blueliner has watched the last seven games from the sidelines.

4. Only Dylan DeMelo and Mark Stone managed to solve Price during Tuesday night's tilt. Stone is one of three players on the Senators' roster with 30 or more points so far this season, along with Matt Duchene (34 points) and Thomas Chabot (31 points). No doubt Ottawa will be a hungry group as they try to deny the Canadiens a second straight victory. The Senators are an impressive 9-4-2 in their own barn during the 2018-19 campaign.
5. Puck drop on Thursday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. You can catch all the action on TV on TSN2, TSN5 and RDS, and listen to the game on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. Following the contest, the Canadiens will remain in Ottawa before flying to the Windy City on Friday. They'll be back in action against the Blackhawks on Sunday at the United Center.