The Montreal Canadiens went 0-4 for last week and are clinging to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference entering their final game of November.

Forward Max Domi said Monday the team knows the next month will start to separate the contenders from the pretenders and the Canadiens want to ensure they remain the former.

"This is such a big time of the year and going into December, this is where you stay in the hunt and you start pushing teams away from you and you don't want to be that team that's getting pushed away," Domi told TSN Radio 690 Montreal. "We're going to focus on just taking it game-by-game and trying to win as many games as possible. That's our goal as a group right now and we're getting some pretty key guys back, so I think that's going to help us quite a bit. And we're looking forward to that."

Domi was, of course, referring to team captain Shea Weber, who is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Weber has been out since last December due to foot and later knee surgery.

For Domi, who was acquired in the off-season for Alex Galchenyuk, Tuesday could represent his first time playing with Weber, though he knows the impact the defenceman can have on opponents.

"He's the captain of our team, and I've never actually had an opportunity to play with him so I can only imagine how much fun that's going to be because I know how much it sucks to play against him," Domi said. "I've experienced that first-hand a couple of times and even when you just walk into the room as the away team and you look at the other team's roster and you see that No. 6 with the Weber underneath it, and you're like, 'Oh God, here we go. It's going to be a tough night.'

"You know how much he finishes in the corner. You know how hard it is to create offence, so as a skilled guy or a guy coming in to the Bell Centre or wherever we're going to play, and to see that guy's name across the way, you know you're in for a tough night. I think that alone has a huge impact on the game.

"Having him back there on your team, knowing that he's going to get you the puck, knowing that you have the confidence in him and then obviously [Carey] Price as well – two veteran guys that are the backbone of this team. I think for a young group, it's going to help us out a lot and just instill confidence in us from top to bottom. We're more than happy and we're absolutely thrilled to have him back."

Weber had six goals and 10 assists in 26 games with the Canadiens last season, while averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per game.