Game Preview: Canadiens (25-29-10) @ Bruins (39-15-8)

The Canadiens are onto the second leg of their long road trip on Saturday, a day after getting their six-game swing off to a good start with a decisive 6-3 win over the New York Islanders in Brooklyn.

Alex Galchenyuk scored a hat trick in his 400th game, Noah Juulsen netted his first career NHL goal, and Charlie Lindgren made 32 saves in the win, which gave the Canadiens points in a sixth consecutive game.

"We wanted to establish ourselves on the road. We really wanted to get this road win tonight," said Lindgren after the game. "That definitely gave us a little extra boost. It's a good start to the road trip; we have a six-game road trip, and to start with a win is big."
Despite all the positives, the Habs lost two regulars when both Victor Mete and Max Pacioretty left the game and did not return. On Saturday, the club announced that both players would return to Montreal for further evaluation.
The Canadiens recalled defenseman Rinat Valiev from the AHL's Laval Rocket after the Islanders game. He is joining the team in Boston on Saturday.

In his pregame press conference, head coach Claude Julien confirmed that Jordie Benn would take Mete's spot in the lineup. Up front, he told reporters that Nicolas Deslauriers and Logan Shaw will draw in, while Daniel Carr is out against the Bruins.
Antti Niemi gets the start.
The Bruins, for their part, had the night off on Friday, but exploded for eight goals the night before that in an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. David Krejci scored a hat trick, while David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists.
The win helped vault Boston into second place in the Atlantic Division, where they sit six points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, with 86 points.
Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on television on Sportsnet and TVA Sports, and on the radio on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm.