The Montreal Canadiens (35-15-4) will be spending Valentine’s Day hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs (23-29-4) at the Bell Centre. The game starts at 7:00 and airs on TVA and CBC as part of Hockey Day in Canada.

Match Up

This is just the second of four meetings between the Habs and Leafs, and the first of two in Montreal. These teams played the first game on the NHL schedule this season back on October 8, a match the Habs won 4-3 on the strength of a last minute goal by Tomas Plekanec, his second of the night.

What to Watch

Canadiens: Christian Thomas scored his first NHL goal on Thursday in Montreal’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers, and Jacob De La Rose picked up his first NHL point on the play. The pair, along with Michael Bournival, formed a dangerous fourth line for the Habs and seem to have earned coach Michel Therrien’s trust despite their youth and lack of experience. De La Rose, in just his fifth NHL game, was on the ice killing a penalty with the Habs up by one in the final minutes of Thursday’s game.

Maple Leafs: The Leafs look destined for a rebuild midway through a disastrous season, but their offensive stars are still putting up impressive numbers. Phil Kessel and James Van Riemsdyk each have 21 goals, although the most impressive stat might be Daniel Winnik’s plus-13 rating on the season. Winnik leads the team in Plus/Minus, he’s one of just five plus players on the Leafs.

What’s at Stake

It’s lonely at the top, at least according to the expression, but in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, being at the top is anything but lonely. The Habs have the best point percentage in the East, and they now have the most points to match, tied with the Lightning at 74 after playing three fewer games. Even still, the Islanders, Penguins and Red Wings are also part of the crowd at the top of the East, sitting one, two and three points back of the leaders respectively.

Who’s Out

P.A. Parenteau (concussion) remains the only injured Hab, but if Friday’s practice is any indication, Tom Gilbert could find himself scratched from Saturday’s game in favor of Mike Weaver. Weaver has played just 28 games this season and has only dressed twice in 2015.

The Leafs are without Joffrey Lupul (knee) and Dion Phaneuf (hand).

What Else

February 14, 2015 is a special day in Canada, not because of Valentine’s, but because of Hockey Day in Canada. From 12:00 PM EST until after midnight, Canadian hockey will take center stage as CBC’s 13.5 hour broadcast celebrates the country’s beloved game. Canadian icons Don Cherry and Ron MacLean will be in Halifax, host city to this year’s event, celebrating hockey and it’s special place in Canada’s past, present and future.

The Question Mark

It’s Valentine’s Day, who is your Habs crush this season and who is your favorite non-Hab?

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