MTL@CBJ: Five things you need to know

The Canadiens are looking to extend their winning streak to four games on Friday in Ohio

GamePreview_CBJ
By Olivier Beauregard, translated by Dan Braverman @CanadiensMTL / canadiens.com

COLUMBUS - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Friday night's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

1. The Canadiens arrive in Columbus riding a three-game winning string. After beating the Avalanche, Bruins, and Panthers, Claude Julien's troops will be looking for their first four-game win streak of the season. The Habs have already enjoyed four three-game winning stretches of the season, including the one they're currently on.

Niemi sets career high in 5-1 win over Panthers

2. Friday's game marks the start of the Habs' eighth of 14 back-to-back sets of the 2018-19 campaign. After playing the Blue Jackets, the Canadiens return to the Bell Centre to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Julien has kept the same lineup in two of his team's previous three games and it remains to be seen if he'll tinker with his roster or line combinations, although he confirmed that Carey Price would get the start before departing for Columbus. Given Paul Byron's recent suspension, Matthew Peca could be returning to the lineup in Ohio. Head coach Claude Julien will make a decision ahead of the game.

3. The Habs now count five players with at least 30 points on the season: Max Domi (41), Jonathan Drouin (35), Tomas Tatar (34), Jeff Petry (33), and Phillip Danault (32). On the goal-scoring side, it's Brendan Gallagher who sits at the top for Montreal with 19. With his empty-netter against the Panthers on Tuesday, Gallagher lit the lamp for the fourth time in his last five games.
4. As for the Blue Jackets, they're also hot right now, having won four straight games and seven of their last 10. The run has helped John Tortorella and his troops into a tie for first place in the Metropolitan division with 59 points. Artemi Panarin leads his team with 52 points (18G, 34A), while Cam Atkinson (27G, 21A = 48 points) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (17G, 25A = 42 points) are next in line.
5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. You can catch all the action on TSN2 and RDS on television, and on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm on the radio.

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