The 17-6-2 Canadiens wrap up their five-game road trip Monday night when they visit the 14-7-4 St. Louis Blues (8 p.m., SNE, RDS, TSN Radio 690). Here are five things to know about the game:
Bad news for Canadiens: The Canadiens announced Monday afternoon that Alex Galchenyuk is out indefinitely after suffering a lower-body injury (it appeared to be his right knee) in a knee-on-knee collision with the Kings’ Anze Kopitar during a 5-4 shootout win Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. The Canadiens cancelled a scheduled practice Monday afternoon in St. Louis and there was no media availability.
Captain steps up: Max Pacioretty had only one goal and one assist in seven games before scoring twice and adding an assist in Sunday’s shootout win over the Kings. It ended a three-game goalless drought for the Canadiens’ captain, who will really need to step up offensively with Galchenyuk sidelined.
Plekanec still slumping: Tomas Plekanec has gone 13 games without scoring a goal and has only three assists during that span. The Canadiens’ highest-paid forward (US$6 million per year) has only one goal all season despite averaging 17:10 of ice time per game, second only to Pacioretty’s 18:05 among Montreal forwards.
Shining star in St. Louis: The Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday after scoring three goals and adding an assist in three games. The 24-year-old right-winger ranked third in the NHL scoring race through Sunday’s games with 13-14-27 totals in 25 games. The Blues wrapped up the 6-foot, 219-pounder long-term last year when they signed him to an eight-year, US$60-million contract that runs through 2022-23.
A Montreal connection: Blues goalie Jake Allen spent two seasons playing for the Montreal Juniors (remember them?) in the QMJHL after being selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (34th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft. He has a 12-3-3 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage this season.
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