MTL@MIN: Five things you need to know

SAINT PAUL - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center.

1. The Canadiens will be looking to secure their fourth straight victory on Tuesday night against the Wild. If they succeed, it would mark their first sequence in that regard so far this season. Claude Julien's contingent is enjoying a strong December, with wins over the New York Rangers, the Ottawa Senators on two occasions, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Only the San Jose Sharks managed to get the best of the Habs earlier this month. The Canadiens will skate at the Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday morning. That's when Julien could confirm whether he'll be featuring any lineup changes versus Minnesota.
2. Antti Niemi will be the starting goaltender for the Canadiens against the Wild, marking his first start since November 23 in Buffalo. In seven games this season, the Finnish backstop has a 4-2-1 record, 3.61 goals-against average and .893 save percentage. Teammate Carey Price had made seven straight starts in the interim. Head coach Claude Julien indicated on Tuesday morning that he could make a change on the blue line, but he wouldn't commit to anything until closer to puck drop. He did say, however, that Noah Juulsen was cleared to return.

3. Several Habs are in the midst of good streaks right now. First up, Andrew Shaw has points in four consecutive games. He also picked up his first career point against his former team on Sunday with an assist against Chicago. Fellow forwards Tomas Tatar and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are both riding three-game point streaks as well. Tatar scored the game-winning goal late in the third period on Sunday, while Kotkaniemi collected his third assist in as many games on the Slovak sniper's tally.

4. The Wild are struggling, having lost five of their last six games. Bruce Boudreau's squad is returning home after playing three games in Western Canada. They dropped their most recent outing by a score of 2-0 to the Calgary Flames, and also fell 7-2 to the Edmonton Oilers on the trek. Tuesday night's tilt against the Canadiens will mark the start of a four-game stretch in their own barn.
5. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST. You can watch all the action on TSN2 and RDS, and listen to the game on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm. Following the contest, the Canadiens will return to Montreal. They'll be back in action on Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre, before battling the Senators and the Boston Bruins on home turf as well.