OTT@MTL: Five things you need to know

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

1. A week after coming back in spectacular fashion to beat the Blue Jackets in a shootout at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens dropped a 5-2 decision to that same team on Tuesday night in Columbus. Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia were the goal-scorers for Montreal, while Carey Price made 21 saves in the loss. It was Montreal's first regulation loss since getting beaten by the Dallas Stars on November 2, and just its sixth of the season.

2. With an assist on Lehkonen's first-period marker at Nationwide Arena, center Phillip Danault earned his 10th assist of the season. The helper inched Danault one point ahead of the injured Jonathan Drouin into a tie with Brendan Gallagher for third in team scoring with 16 points (6G, 10A). It also helped Danault extend his points streak to four games; he has six points (1G, 5A) in that span.

3.The Canadiens announced on Tuesday that Drouin and Paul Byron are both on the shelf for an extended period after undergoing surgery. In Drouin's case, it was wrist surgery which will keep him out of action for at least eight weeks, while Byron went under the knife after suffering a knee injury in Washington and is expected to recover in four weeks. Head coach Claude Julien rolled with the same forward lines he had used in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. During his pregame media availability, the coach said he wouldn't be making any changes to his lineup and that Price would get a second straight start.

4. After getting off to a rough start to the season in which they won only three of their first 11 games, the Senators have been trending in the right direction in November. They've posted a 6-4-0 record so far this month, including a 4-3 win over the Red Wings in Detroit on Tuesday night. In the win, Ottawa got goals from Anthony Duclair (2), Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Brady Tkachuk, while Anders Nilsson made 35 saves for the visitors. Pageau leads the Sens with 12 goals and 16 points, while Connor Brown (2G, 12A, 14P) and Duclair (9G, 4A, 13P) are next. This is the first of four meetings between the divisional rivals, with the next one coming on December 11 at the Bell Centre.
5. Exceptionally, this game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. Prior to puck drop, the Canadiens will be honoring former captain Guy Carbonneau, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday night. You can catch all the action on Sportsnet and RDS on television, and on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm on the radio. For tickets,
click here
.