Preview: Coyotes vs. Canadiens

GAME 34:
Coyotes (14-17-2) vs. Canadiens (17-13-5)
Arizona will host Montreal on Thursday night looking to end a two-game losing streak, in which the Coyotes have scored just one goal.
"Ten games ago, we were two games over .500, the next thing you know we're not scoring goals," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said. "We've lost a few games here and we've got to get it back."

WHERE: Gila River Arena | WHEN: 7 p.m. (AZ time) | TV:FOX Sports Arizona | RADIO:ESPN 620 AM

ABOUT THE 'YOTES:
• Darcy Kuemper, who owns a 2-1-0 record and a 2.62 goals-against average in four career appearances against the Canadiens, will start in goal. Kuemper last played on Tuesday when he stopped 29 of 32 shots in a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders. He's seeking his first victory since Nov. 15. Adin Hill will be the backup goalie.
• Alex Galchenyuk will skate vs. the Canadiens for the first time since they traded him to Arizona for Max Domi last summer. Galchenyuk played the first 418 games of his NHL career for Montreal, which drafted him third overall in 2012. He's notched three goals and eight assists for the Coyotes in 23 games, but he missed 11 games because of injuries.
"When he's on, he can be an elite goal scorer in this league," Coyotes General Manager John Chayka said. "He's trying to find his game right now, find his rhythm, shake some rust off and get his game going in the right direction."
Among all players drafted in 2012, Galchenyuk ranks first in games played (441) and second in goals (111) and points (266), trailing only Filip Forsberg in both categories.
"I'm not going to lie and say it's just another day and another game," Galchenyuk told reporters after Thursday's morning skate. "I have so many friends on the other team, and playing them for the first time, it will be a little bit different. I spent six years in Montreal ... At the same time, it's a really big game for us as a team. We've got to get back to our winning ways, and personally, I've got to be better."

Meanwhile, Domi told NHL.com he's looking forward to playing at Gila River Arena for the first time since the trade.
"It'll be fun," Domi said. "I'm really looking forward to this experience. I miss it here, for sure. But that being said, I'm happy with how everything ended up."
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'Yotes Notes
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is closing in on Keith Yandle's record for most points by a defenseman in Coyotes history, is averaging a point per game vs. the Canadiens over 12 games. Ekman-Larsson has 307 points; Yandle notched 311 as a member of the Coyotes.
• Arizona has posted a 4-1-1 record in its past six games vs. Montreal, including two wins last season when it swept the season series and outscored the Canadiens 10-6.
• Clayton Keller, who leads the Coyotes with 23 points and co-leads with eight goals, notched one goal and four assists in two games vs. Montreal last season. He's looking to snap an eight-game goal-scoring drought. Head Coach Rick Tocchet has juggled the top two lines for this game. Keller will play alongside center Derek Stepan and left wing Richard Panik, as he did in the second half of last season.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS:
• Montreal has lost three of its past five games, including a 2-1 defeat at Colorado on Wednesday night ... With 39 points, the Canadiens rank seventh in the Eastern Conference, but fifth in the Atlantic Division ... Domi, who played the first 222 games of his NHL career with the Coyotes, ranks first on the Canadiens with 33 points and co-leads with 19 assists ... Brendan Gallagher has scored a team-high 15 goals and has taken 127 shots, ninth most in the League ... Shea Weber plays 25:27 per game, which ranks eighth in the NHL ... Carey Price, who made his 27th start of the season on Wednesday at Colorado, will be back in net vs. the Coyotes ... Like Arizona, Montreal has scored just one goal during a two-game losing streak.