EDM@MTL: Five things you need to know

MONTREAL - Here are five things you need to know ahead of Thursday night's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre.

1, Mistakes proved costly again for the Canadiens in their most recent outing on Tuesday night in Detroit. Claude Julien's contingent surrendered 2-0 and 3-2 leads over the course of the game, before falling 4-3 to the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. That stretched the club's winless streak to seven straight games (0-6-1). Artturi Lehkonen, Nick Suzuki and Victor Mete scored for Montreal, while goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 26 saves in between the pipes. It marked the Canadiens' third loss of the season at the hands of their Atlantic Division rivals, who currently sit last in the NHL standings.

2. Forward Brendan Gallagher took part in Thursday's morning skate with his teammates at the Bell Sports Complex. Gallagher was back on his usual line with Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar. Following the skate, head coach Claude Julien declared that Gallagher had still not received the green light from the team's medical staff, but it's highly likely he'll dress against the Edmonton Oilers. Meanwhile, defenseman Ben Chiarot will sit out the Oilers game with a lower-body injury. This will be the first time he's missed a game for the Canadiens this season.

3. The Oilers were responsible for handing the Canadiens their only loss on their Western Canada road trip. That was back on December 21 at Rogers Place. Forward Riley Sheahan scored the game-winning goal at the 7:48 mark of the third period in a 4-3 victory for Edmonton. Defenseman Jeff Petry offered up a solid performance against his former team, scoring a short-handed goal and adding two assists.

4. Edmonton is riding a two-game winning streak on their current road trip. After besting the Bruins in Boston on Saturday, Dave Tippett's group handed the Maple Leafs a 6-4 loss in Toronto on Monday. Captain Connor McDavid led the way offensively with a goal and three assists. McDavid leads the Oilers - and the League - with 45 assists and 69 points on the year. It goes without saying that he's a serious threat every single time he steps over the boards. So is teammate Leon Draisaitl, who ranks second in the League with 42 assists and 67 points. Keeping both McDavid and Draisaitl in check will be a top priority.
5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. You can watch the game on TSN2, Sportsnet West and RDS, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. To purchase tickets,
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. Up next for the Canadiens is a matchup against the Senators on Saturday night in Ottawa.