Montreal @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 23, 2019 ) Arizona 1, Montreal 2

After coming within four points of reaching the playoffs last season, the Arizona Coyotes look poised to take the next step in their bid to end a postseason drought dating to the 2011-12 campaign. The Coyotes passed another early-season test with a successful four-game road trip and have won six of seven entering Wednesday night's matchup against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

Arizona's only loss in the last seven games was a 4-2 setback at the New York Islanders on Thursday, but the Coyotes responded with back-to-back wins, capping a 3-1-0 road trip by handing Buffalo its first home defeat on Monday night. "We knew this was a big trip," goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. "You want to separate a little bit early. It's early in the season but these points are huge and we've just got to stick with it." Montreal snapped a two-game slide by scoring three times in the third period in a 5-2 victory over visiting Toronto on Saturday night. Brendan Gallagher, who scored for the fourth time in seven games in the victory, will appear in his 500th game in the opener of a three-game road trip.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, RDS, TSN2 (Montreal), FS Arizona-Plus

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (5-4-2): Jonathan Drouin scored two breakaway goals Saturday but linemate Max Domi had his seven-game point streak halted. Domi, a 2013 first-round draft pick who was acquired from Arizona prior to the 2018-19 season, established career highs with 28 goals and 72 points last season. "You come to Montreal, the stands are full every game. Great crowd, a great following of fans," coach Claude Julien said. "He loves the fact that he’s in a big market. At the same time, we put him at center. He seemed to thrive on that."

ABOUT THE COYOTES (7-3-1): Forward Nick Schmaltz, the team leader with 11 points, was held off the scoresheet Monday but he came through by delivering the decisive goal in the shootout in Buffalo. Conor Garland, who had 13 goals and 18 points in 47 games as a rookie last season, netted his team-leading sixth tally in Buffalo -- all coming in the past nine contests. Arizona erased two-goal deficits in each of its last two wins -- the first time the team posted back-to-back victories when trailing by multiple goals since February 2012.

OVERTIME

1. Canadiens G Carey Price is 11-1-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average in 12 starts versus Arizona.

2. Kuemper is 2-2-0 with a 2.49 GAA versus Montreal.

3. The Canadiens' power play is tied for fifth in the league with a success rate of 26.3 percent.

PREDICTION: Canadiens 3, Coyotes 2