OTT@MTL: Five things you need to know

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

1. The Canadiens picked up their second straight win on Tuesday night - and their third win in the last four games - with a convinving 4-1 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. After falling behind 1-0 in the first period, Claude Julien's contingent scored three times in the second period with goals from Tomas Tatar, Joel Armia and captain Shea Weber, before assistant captain Brendan Gallagher added an empty-netter late in the third. It marked the fourth straight game in which Gallagher lit the lamp. He boasts a team-leading 14 goals on the year. For his part, Phillip Danault extended his point streak to four games with an assist on Tatar's 10th goal of the season. Goaltender Carey Price turned aside 33 of 34 shots en route to his 13th victory of the 2019-20 campaign.

2. During his pre-game press conference, Julien confirmed that Ryan Poehling would take Matthew Peca's spot in the lineup against the Senators. Poehling was recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket earlier in the day. Peca was injured against the Penguins and will be re-evaluated by team medical staff on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Cayden Primeau gets the start in goal. The 20-year-old netminder last played on December 5 against Colorado. It was his NHL debut. Primeau made 32 saves, but came out on the wrong side of the scoresheet.

3. This marks the second meeting of the season between Montreal and Ottawa. Back on November 20, the Senators secured a 2-1 overtime win at the Bell Centre. Brady Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal just 38 seconds into the extra frame. Rookie Nick Suzuki scored the lone goal for the Canadiens in the loss. The two teams will meet again on January 11 and February 22, with both games taking place in Ottawa.

4. The Senators are coming off a big 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Monday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Anthony Duclair led the way offensively with a pair of markers, while goaltender Anders Nilsson made 38 saves to best Tuukka Rask. Right now, Jean-Gabriel Pageau leads the Senators with 16 goals and 23 points in 31 games this season. Duclair ranks second with 15 goals and 22 points, while Tkachuk sits third in both categories with 10 goals and 17 points.
5.Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. You can watch the game on Sportsnet and RDS, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm. Up next, the Canadiens welcome the Detroit Red Wings to the Bell Centre on Saturday night before hitting the road on Sunday to begin their annual Western Canada swing with stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg leading up to the Christmas break.