Demko VAN-MTL preview

CANUCKS (33-22-6) at CANADIENS (29-27-8)
7 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, SNP, NHL.TV

The Canucks, 3-1-1 in their past five games after a four-game winless streak (0-3-1), are in third place in the Pacific Division, one point behind the Edmonton Oilers and four behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights.
Vancouver goalie Jakob Markstrom is expected to be out 3-4 weeks because of a lower-body injury sustained in a 9-3 win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. The Canucks acquired goalie Louis Domingue in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on Monday; Domingue will back up Demko on Tuesday.
The Canadiens, seeking their third straight victory following a five-game winless streak (0-4-1), will play their first game after trading forwards Ilya Kovalchuk (to the Washington Capitals), Nate Thompson (to the Philadelphia Flyers) and Nick Cousins (to the Vegas Golden Knights) on Monday.

Players to watch

Canucks forward Tyler Toffoli has four points (two goals, two assists) in two games since he was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 17.
Canadiens forward Paul Byron has three points (one goal, two assists) in three games after missing the previous 42 because of a knee injury.

They said it

"As much as they love [Markstrom] and love how he's played and know how valuable he is to the group, they still just worry about playing their best hockey and putting their best foot forward. And they've also got a lot of faith in [Demko] as well, much like I have a lot of faith in him." -- Canucks coach Travis Green
"Nothing really changes for us. Some guys go out, others come in. It's as if you lose guys to injuries, new guys have to step up and play an important role, and that's the message going in right now." -- Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot

Canucks projected lineup
Canadiens projected lineup
Status report

Markstrom traveled to Montreal and had an MRI on Monday. He is returning to Vancouver and will be re-examined Wednesday.

Stat pack

Miller has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past two games. … Price has started 15 of the past 16 games for Montreal, including nine straight since he missed a 5-4 win at the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 4 because of illness.