Brendan Gallagher celebrates with his teammates after sealing the win with an empty net goal on Sunday - Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/3e28c5b5-5124-464d-b256-9b789f0645e4.jpeg] Brendan Gallagher celebrates with his teammates after sealing the win with an empty net goal on Sunday - Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]had a disastrous road trip last week, but they still managed to redeem themselves by winning their duel with the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise. It was the third time the Habs beat the Stanley Cup champions this season, this time by a score of 4-2. The Cats appeared frustrated at the end of the game, as evidenced by Niko Mikkola's slapshot at the buzzer that nearly hit David Savard in the head. On Monday, the NHL Player Safety announced Mikkola had been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. This came as a surprise to some, but it was a reckless act, and the Canadiens took it as an act of aggression. The referees quickly intervened and sent Mikkola back to the dressing room, but it wouldn’t be shocking if there were some repercussions on Tuesday night. Canadiens: The Jacob Fowler Watch Is On [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-the-jacob-fowler-watch-is-on] Three Takeaways From The Canadiens' Excellent Display On Sunday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/three-takeaways-from-the-canadiens-excellent-display-on-sunday] Canadiens: Is Xhekaj Facing The Axe? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-is-xhekaj-facing-the-axe] The Canadiens had a day off on Monday, so there’s been no indication of possible lineup changes, but generally speaking, Martin St-Louis is of the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” school of thought. It would, therefore, be surprising if he did make some changes. I fully expect Samuel Montembeault to be back in the net; he has a 3-4-1 record with a 3.95 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage against Tuesday’s visitors, while Jakub Dobes has blanked them in his only start. Sergei Borbovsky is 16-9-1 against Montreal with a 2.47 GAA and a .918 SP. Meanwhile, backup Vitek Vanecek is 3-1-0, with a 2.74 GAA and a .894 SP. The numbers up front haven’t changed much since our last preview. Brendan Gallagher is still the Canadiens’ point leader against the Panthers; he now has 24 points in 39 games, having added one on Sunday. Patrik Laine still comes second with 23 points in 22 games, but Nick Suzuki is closing in. Thanks to his three-point outing, he’s got 18 points in as many games. As for the Cats, Aleksander Barkov is now the leader of the pack in points as well. His two-point performance Sunday gives him 49 points in 38 games. Brad Marchard is now in second place with 48 points in 58 games, having been held off the scoresheet last weekend, and Sam Reinhart padded his total to 23 points in 33 games. The Habs are still holding the second wild card spot in the eastern conference, but the race is tight and the Columbus Blue Jackets could catch them up tonight if they win and St-Louis' men lose. The game is set for 7:00 PM, and the first 8,000 fans to come to the Bell Centre will receive a free Juraj Slafkovsky bobblehead. Montreal now has six home games remaining, with the Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] and Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] set to visit this week, the Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings] next week, and the Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks] and Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes] closing the regular season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
