The Montreal Canadiens will play their first home game of the new year Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators.
The Sens have won their last three games, most recently beating the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 at home Thursday.
The Habs beat the Dallas Stars 6-4 in Dallas Thursday. Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban got four points apiece, and Carey Price turned away 28 of 32 shots in the effort.
The last time Ottawa and Montreal met, Nov. 7, the Sens scored two goals 37 seconds apart in the second period en route to a 4-1 victory.
Bobby Ryan, recently passed over for a spot on Team USA, scored three points (1G, 2A) to lift his team over the Habs that night.
Price will start in net for the Canadiens.
Ottawa defenceman Erik Karlsson is second among point leaders for d-men with 38 points on the season (10 goals, 28 assists).
Habs blueliner Subban is not far behind in third place with 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists).
The Senators are in sixth place in the Atlantic division (18-18-7) while the Habs are in third (24-14-4)
Canadiens defenceman Raphael Diaz will be a healthy scratch.
TSN’s John Lu tweeted Saturday that George Parros will see a concussion specialist Saturday after his appointment last Thursday in Detroit was cancelled because of a snowstorm.
Parros sustained his second concussion of the season during a fight Dec. 14 and has been out ever since.
