The Montreal Canadiens (34-15-3) are back home to host the Philadelphia Flyers (23-22-8) Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. The game starts at 7:30 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet East.

Match Up

This is the third and final meeting between the Habs and Flyers this season, with each team hosting a game on home ice already. Montreal has taken two of two from Philly with the first victory coming by way of shootout in Philadelphia. The Canadiens scored three third period goals to draw even with the Flyers and set the stage for P.A. Parenteau’s shootout winner.

What to Watch

Canadiens: David Desharnais parlayed his promotion back onto the top line into an NHL Third Star of the Week honor after a pair of strong games this weekend. Desharnais now has seven points in his last four games bringing him up to 31 on the season.

Flyers: Yes the Flyers have Art Ross hopefuls Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux in their lineup, but the real excitement Tuesday night should be Ryan White’s return to the Bell Centre. White played 141 games with the Canadiens spread out over five seasons. A torn pectoral muscle kept him out for most of the season but he’s played the last five for the Flyers.



What’s at Stake

The logjam at the top of the Atlantic Division has pushed the Lightning, Red Wings and Canadiens to the top of the Eastern Conference. The Habs have a golden opportunity to take over top spot with eight of their next ten games coming against non-playoff teams, starting with the Flyers.

Who’s Out

P.A. Parenteau (concussion) is still out for the Habs but aside from that the team is healthy. Carey Price started back-to-back games this weekend and could be due for a rest on Tuesday.

Flyers goalie Steve Mason (knee) was forced out of Sunday’s game against the Capitals and will reportedly undergo surgery on his right knee, which could mean an extended absence. Also missing for Philly is Braydon Coburn (foot), Zac Rinaldo (suspension), Michael Raffl (pneumonia) and Kimmo Timonen (leg).

What Else

David Desharnais is the third Canadien this season to take home one of the NHL’s Stars of the Week and the second in as many weeks. Last week Carey Price was named First Star of the Week, completing his trifecta this season after being named Third Star on January 5 and Second Star on November 17. Tomas Plekanec got things going for the team by taking home First Star honors on the first week of the season

The Question Mark

The Canadiens have won two games in a row and the parade is back on. If the Habs do win the Cup this season, with no captain, who lifts it first?

As always, we’ll be going over your answers on the Montreal Hockey Talk Habs Pregame Show, which comes to you live an hour before each Canadiens game on montrealhockeytalk.com.