Coming off a 3-0 loss to the Islanders on Thursday -- the fourth time in the last eight games that Montreal has been blanked -- the stakes will be high at the Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs are just four points back of the Habs in the Atlantic Division standings, with a game in hand.
On Thursday, the Leafs earned a point in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Rangers.
"We have work to do, and that begins with showing up every day. We need to win," underlined Brendan Gallagher following the loss to the Isles. "We have to correct the mistakes we made [against New York]."
Based on Friday's practice, David Desharnais, Sven Andrighetto, and Nikita Nesterov could all return to the lineup in Toronto, replacing Michael McCarron, Brian Flynn, and Greg Pateryn, respectively.
At the other end of the ice, Mitch Marner will miss a fifth game in a row due to an upper body injury, on Saturday. The 19-year-old forward is among the League's top rookies, with 48 points in 56 games -- just four less than teammate Auston Matthews.
Claude Julien's men will be aiming for a 14th consecutive win against Toronto, a streak which dates back to the 2013-14 season. The last time the two teams met this season, on January 7, the Habs left the ACC with a 5-3 victory.
