Boston @ Montreal preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 5, 2019 ) Boston 4, Montreal 5

The Boston Bruins hoped to have turned the corner on the injury front only to see one of their top stars experience a setback. The Bruins will be without four-time Selke Trophy recipient Patrice Bergeron on Tuesday when they begin a two-game road trip against the Montreal Canadiens.

Bergeron didn't look the worse for wear after collecting four assists in Boston's 5-4 victory over Minnesota on Saturday, however coach Bruce Cassidy has elected to play it safe with the 34-year-old forward. "We just want to make sure when he's in the lineup he's not going to put himself at further risk," Cassidy told reporters Monday. "So the medical staff will stay on top of it and we'll go from there." While Boston has won three in a row and is 4-0-1 its last five contests, Montreal finds itself mired in a season-high four-game skid (0-2-2) after squandering a four-goal lead in a 6-5 setback against the New York Rangers on Saturday. "When you lose four in a row, you're going to be frustrated,'' Canadiens coach Claude Julien told the media. "We've picked up two out of a possible eight points. We know where we are in the standings, and we want to stay there and be among the best teams."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), TSN2, RDS (Montreal)

ABOUT THE BRUINS (15-3-5): David Krejci, who has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in his last 12 games, skated in Bergeron's place in Monday's practice alongside Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. "I think (there's) a little more pressure defensively when (he's) out," Marchand said of Bergeron. "You realize how good he is at both ends of the rink, what he does to shut down other team's top lines. He's obviously a huge hole for our team to fill, but we just have to rely on the next guy in the lineup and collectively be really good." Marchand has been pretty good in his own right, as the pesky 31-year-old was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday after collecting three goals, four assists and a plus-6 rating over a five-day stretch.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (11-7-5): Saturday's setback didn't sit well with Tomas Tatar, so much so that the 28-year-old wanted to return to the ice to right a perceived wrong. "I just wanted to come here and work on it. The day off, when you mess up like that, you're happy with a little break from hockey, but it's kind of eating you alive," Tatar told reporters Monday. Tatar, who leads the team in assists (13) and points (20), scored and set up a goal in Montreal's 5-4 win over Boston on Nov. 5.


OVERTIME

1. Montreal RW Brendan Gallagher leads the team with nine goals, although he has only two in November.

2. Marchand resides two points shy of 600 for his career.

3. Two of Montreal D Victor Mete's three goals this season were scored against Boston.

PREDICTION: Canadiens 3, Bruins 2