Columbus @ Montreal preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 18, 2019 ) Montreal 4, Columbus 1

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been more comfortable on the road than at home lately and hope that trend continues Tuesday, when they visit the struggling Montreal Canadiens. Columbus has lost five of its last six home games, including Monday's 5-1 setback against league-leading Tampa Bay.

The Blue Jackets have yet to lose on the road this month, however, winning all four contests to improve to 18-9-1 away from home. Lukas Sedlak scored with less than two minutes remaining in the third period on Monday to prevent a second straight shutout loss at home for Columbus, which remained two points behind Washington for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Montreal is clinging to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to an 0-3-0 road trip that extended its overall slide to four games. The Canadiens, who - like the Blue Jackets - are one point ahead of Carolina in the standings, have been playing well at home as they enter Tuesday with a six-game point streak (4-0-2) at Bell Centre.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Columbus), TSN2, RDS (Montreal)

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (33-22-3): Boone Jenner returned to the lineup Monday after missing a game with a lower-body injury, recording three shots and a minus-1 rating in nearly 17 1/2 minutes of ice time. The 25-year-old center is four goals shy of 100 for his career and four games away from reaching 400 in the NHL. Cam Atkinson leads the team with 32 goals and needs three to match the career high he set in 2016-17.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (31-21-7): Max Domi snapped his five-game drought with a pair of goals in Sunday's 6-3 loss at Florida, raising his season total to a career-high 19 - one more than the amount he recorded as a rookie with Arizona in 2015-16. The 23-year-old needs two points to eclipse the personal best of 52 he registered that same campaign with the Coyotes. Tomas Tatar notched two assists on Sunday, leaving him two shy of matching the career high of 27 he recorded in 2014-15 with Detroit.

OVERTIME

1. Blue Jackets D Ryan Murray, who tops the club with a plus-20 rating, left Monday's contest with an upper-body injury and is questionable to face the Canadiens.

2. Montreal RW Brendan Gallagher has scored three goals and six points in his last three home games.

3. Columbus LW Artemi Panarin, who leads the team with 67 points, will appear in his 300th NHL contest on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Canadiens 3