NHL On Tap: Canadiens try for first three-game winning streak this season

Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the five games Monday.

Canadiens go for third straight win

The Montreal Canadiens will try for their first three-game winning streak this season when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET; SN, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Montreal (10-33-7) made it two in a row for the first time with a 3-2 shootout victory at the New York Islanders on Sunday. Keep an eye on Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who has scored four goals in five games since Martin St. Louis replaced Dominque Ducharme as coach Feb. 9. The Maple Leafs (32-13-3) play the first of a back to back. They acquired forward Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes for forward Nick Ritchie and a conditional pick in the NHL Draft following a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Dzingel on Monday was clamied off waivers by the San Jose Sharks. -- Brian Compton, deputy managing editor

Flames go for 10th straight win when they host Jets

The Calgary Flames have won nine consecutive games and can tie their record with a victory against the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Saddledome (4 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN3, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). The Flames have twice won 10 straight in their history, once when they played in Atlanta (Oct. 14-Nov. 3, 1978) and the other after moving to Calgary (Feb. 21-March 13, 2017). Goalie Jacob Markstrom is 7-0-0 with a 1.56 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and two shutouts during the winning streak and leads the NHL with eight shutouts. Forward Elias Lindholm, who plays on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, leads Calgary (29-13-6) with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) during the run and was named NHL First Star for the week ending Feb. 20. The Jets (22-19-8) are 4-2-1 since the NHL All-Star break. -- Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor

Pettersson looks to stay hot

Elias Pettersson has scored eight points (three goals, five assists) in his past five games for the Vancouver Canucks and is coming off a three-point game (one goal, two assists) in a 7-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. He will look to stay on a hot streak when the Canucks (23-22-6) host the Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN1, ROOT-NW, NHL LIVE). After a slower than expected start to the season, Pettersson has been among Vancouver's best players since Jan. 1, scoring a team-best eight goals in 18 games, and his 15 points in that span rank second to forward J.T. Miller (16 points in 16 games). Kraken forward Yanni Gourde has five assists in his past five games and is third on Seattle (16-31-4) with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 43 games. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Monday games

Colorado Avalanche at Boston Bruins (1 p.m. ET; SN, NESN, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Avalanche (36-9-4) have won seven straight road games, outscoring opponents 28-8 with four shutouts. Bruins (27-17-4) forward David Pastrnak has scored 25 points (17 goals, eight assists) since Jan. 1, most in the NHL.
Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers (3 p.m. ET; SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, NBCSP, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Hurricanes (34-11-4) are coming off a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Goalie Frederik Andersen, the expected starter at Philadelphia, is 10-2-2 with a 2.36 goals-against average,.923 save percentage and one shutout since Jan. 1. Forward Scott Laughton has scored six points (three goals, three assists) in his past five games for the Flyers (15-25-9), who are 2-7-1 in their past 10.
Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames (4 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN3, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Jets forward Blake Wheeler has scored 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past five games. Lindholm has scored goals in seven straight games and can tie Mitchell Marner of the Maple Leafs (eight games, Jan. 15 to Feb. 7) for the longest goal streak in the NHL this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; SN, RDS, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Toronto forward Auston Matthews had his nine-game point streak end in a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. He scored 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) during the run. Forward Mike Hoffman leads active Canadiens with 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 27 games against the Maple Leafs.
Seattle Kraken at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN1, ROOT-NW, NHL LIVE)
Thatcher Demko will be looking to rebound for the Canucks. The goalie allowed five goals on nine shots before being pulled in the second period against the Ducks on Saturday. The Kraken have lost three straight and while being outscored 13-6. Seattle forward Jared McCann will play his 400th NHL game.