Wednesday night's tilt in the City of Angels marked netminder Al Montoya's first start of the season. He was solid between the pipes, turning away 37 of LA's 42 shots on net, although head coach Claude Julien will turn to Carey Price against the Ducks.
Last season, the Canadiens and Ducks split their two-game season series, with Anaheim striking first in a 2-1 victory in November and Montreal replying with a 5-1 win the following month. Jeff Petry led the Habs with three points (1G, 2A) against the Ducks in 2016-17, with Max Pacioretty and Byron right behind him with two apiece (1G, 1A each).
The Ducks are coming off a four-day break in their schedule. In their last two games, they fell by scores of 3-1 - first in Colorado last Friday and then at home against the Sabres on Sunday. Following their dance with the Canadiens, they will be embarking on a four-game Eastern conference road trip to close out the month.
Andrew Cogliano leads all Anaheim skaters with six points (2G, 4A) in as many games.
Head coach Randy Carlyle has not yet announced his starting goaltender. John Gibson left the game against the Avalanche after the first period with an upper-body injury, leaving Reto Berra to man the crease. Free-agent signing Ryan Miller is nearing a return from a preseason injury and may be ready for the call.
Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. The game will be televised on TSN2, RDS and PRIME, and will be on the radio on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm.
