NYR@MTL: Five things you need to know

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

1. The Canadiens let another all-important lead slip away in their most recent outing on Tuesday night. Up 2-0 on the Vancouver Canucks early in the first period on the strength of goals by Paul Byron and Shea Weber, Travis Green's sqaud was able to rally back and tie things up heading into the final frame. After Jordan Weal restored the Habs' lead when the period was just 50 seconds old, Canucks forward Jake Virtanen scored a power-play goal five minutes later which ultimately sent the contest to overtime. It was newcomer Tyler Toffoli who eventually netted the game-winner to snap Montreal's two-game winning streak. Goaltender Carey Price turned aside 30 of 34 shots, but was denied his 27th victory of the season.

2. On Thursday morning, the Canadiens recalled forward Charles Hudon from the AHL's Laval Rocket. He will be available against the Rangers. Hudon is the fourth-leading goal scorer in the AHL ranks this season with 27 goals in 46 games. His last outing with Montreal came on December 6, 2019 at Madison Square Garden versus the Blueshirts. Head coach Claude Julien confirmed that Hudon will play in place of Jonathan Drouin, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. There is no timetable on Drouin's return.

3. Youngster Boyd Petry loves cheering on his father at the Bell Centre on game nights. Earlier this month, we mic'd up the eldest of the veteran defenseman's three children to experience a game through his eyes. It yielded some seriously adorable content, and we encourage you to check it out! As per usual, Boyd should be front and center along the glass during warmups on Thursday night to wish his proud papa good luck.

4. Winners of four straight games and eight of their last 10, the Rangers are playing outstanding hockey right now. On Tuesday night, David Quinn's squad posted a 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mika Zibanejad settled the score for the Blueshirts just 28 seconds into the extra frame. This marks the third and final regular-season meeting between the two teams. The Rangers won the first encounter 6-5 at the Bell Centre on November 23, before the Canadiens rebounded with a 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden on December 6. Leading the way offensively for Quinn and company is Russian sniper Artemi Panarin, who sits atop all three major offensive categories with 32 goals, 53 assists and 85 points. His plus-36 differential is rather impressive as well. Zibanejad ranks second with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists), while Ryan Strome sits third with 55 points (16 goals, 39 assists).

5.Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. You can watch the game on TSN2 and RDS, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. To purchase tickets,
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. The Canadiens will close out their three-game homestand on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, before hitting the road for a three-game trek against the Islanders (March 3), Tampa Bay Lightning (March 5) and the Florida Panthers (March 7).