PREVIEW: Red Wings, Canadiens battle for top spot in Atlantic Division on Saturday 

MONTREAL -- In a key showdown between two Original Six clubs competing for first place in the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings will visit the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday night.

“For as tight as the race is, every game is important,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “If we want an opportunity to have a chance at winning a season series against Montreal, we must perform [on Saturday]. We know what’s ahead of us.”

Entering Saturday’s 7 p.m. puck drop (broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit), the Red Wings (26-15-4; 56 points) and Canadiens (25-13-6; 56 points) were tied in points but the latter had one game in hand on the former.

Detroit last played Montreal on Oct. 9, dropping a 5-1 decision at Little Caesars Arena.

“Opening Night feels like a long time ago, but [Saturday] is a big game” Andrew Copp said. “They’re playing very well right now. They just beat some pretty good teams back-to-back. They’re scoring goals and I think they’re kind of feeling it right now, so it’ll be a great test for us.”

After a two-game winless skid, the Red Wings have won two in a row, including a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday – a night that saw Patrick Kane become the fifth United States-born player to score 500 career NHL goals by lighting the lamp twice.

“A good win and obviously, a special night for Kaner and everyone involved to support him for his 500th,” Mason Appleton said. “When you think about that number, it’s absolutely insane. It just goes to show the player and the person, everything he is and everything he’s meant to this game over the last 20 years.”

Appleton added that he felt Thursday’s win felt bigger than just a regular-season game.

“Throughout the course of an 82-game season, some of the wins and losses blend together,” Appleton said. “But that’s one that will stick with everyone, especially Kaner. To be able to share the moment in the locker room as a group after was special. It was a special time for everyone. [Kane] spoke on what it means to him, his family and everyone involved, so definitely was a moment when the group really came together and felt each other.”

Appleton and his teammates know, as memorable as Thursday was, they must shift their focus to the present with two important points available for the taking in Montreal and the standings still incredibly tight at this stage of the campaign.

“We’ve played a couple more games than some teams around us, and I don’t think that’s going to change for anybody really,” McLellan said. “Even if you’re not in a playoff position, you’re not out of it. We’ve been able to stay in the pack.”

Montreal, which is 7-1-2 in its last 10 games compared to Detroit’s 7-2-1 mark, stretched their winning streak to three straight games with a 6-2 victory over the visiting Florida Panthers on Thursday.

The Canadiens’ top three scorers -- captain Nick Suzuki (48 points on 14 goals and 34 assists), Lane Hutson (44 points on eight goals and 36 assists) and Cole Caufield (42 points on 21 goals and 21 assists) – have combined for 134 points so far this season, with Hutson leading the club in assists and Caufield in goals.

Rookie goalie Jacob Fowler will be between the pipes for Montreal and brings a 4-2-2 record with a 2.37 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and one shutout into what will be his ninth NHL start.

“They’re really playing well right now,” McLellan said about the Canadiens. “Their ability to finish and make teams pay for mistakes, we saw that [on Oct. 9], is as good as probably anybody in the League right now. They’re playing well and we’re going to have our hands full, but I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the task at hand.”