Montreal @ Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2018 ) Florida 5, Montreal 2

The Montreal Canadiens look to finish off a successful month with a strong three-game road trip that begins with an Atlantic Division matchup against the improving Florida Panthers on Friday night. The Canadiens are 8-4-0 in December after completing a three-game trek out West with two wins before the Christmas break, capped by center Phillip Danault’s hat trick in a 4-3 overtime victory at Vegas on Saturday.

“The boys were up to the task, and it was my turn to step up,” Danault told reporters after pushing his season total to five goals. “It was a good team effort. We knew it was our last game before Christmas and it’s a big win for the boys.” But Montreal, which also plays at Tampa Bay (Saturday) and Dallas (Monday) on the trip, left home without No. 1 goalie Carey Price (lower body) and will try to snap a three-game losing streak against the Panthers (all shutouts). Florida went into the break with a good feeling as well after winning four of its past five contests, including a 6-3 triumph at Chicago on Sunday that followed a 2-1 win at Detroit a little more than 24 hours earlier. The Panthers got contributions from their depth in Sunday’s win, but forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, captain Aleksander Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman are all wielding hot sticks.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN2, RDS (Montreal), FS Florida

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (19-13-5): Montreal has done well offensively of late without much help from the power play, which is 2-of-34 in the last 11 games and is last in the league at 12.7 percent. Max Domi registered a pair of assists against Vegas and leads the team with 35 points - five more than linemate Jonathan Drouin, who owns two goals and eight assists with a plus-3 rating in 12 games this month. Veteran Antti Niemi (4-3-1) is expected to step in for Price on Friday and 21-year-old rookie goalie Michael McNiven was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (15-14-6): Rookie forward Jayce Hawryluk scored the first two goals of his NHL career in his fifth game Sunday and continues to make a strong impression in a support role. “Every game, he’s getting better,” coach Bob Boughner told reporters of the 2014 second-round pick. “It’s real contagious the passion that he brings and the energy that he brings. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.” Huberdeau boasts 27 of his team-leading 42 points in the last 17 games and Barkov has totaled 18 of his 36 points - second on the team - in the past 14 contests.

OVERTIME

1. Florida LW Mike Hoffman has scored in back-to-back games to share the team goal-scoring lead with RW Evgenii Dadonov (17).

2. The Canadiens recalled D Karl Alzner on Wednesday and placed D David Schlemko (upper body) on injured reserve.

3. This is the first time the teams have met since the preseason when Domi was suspended for a sucker punch on Panthers D Aaron Ekblad.

PREDICTION: Canadiens 4, Panthers 3