The Montreal Canadiens (42-18-6) return home to host the Lightning (41-20-6) Tuesday night, after a less than stellar road trip. The game starts at 7:30 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet East.

Match Up

This is the third of five meetings between the Habs and Bolts this season, and the first of three in March. The Canadiens are still looking for their first victory against the Lightning, they’ve lost 7-1 in Tampa and 4-2 at home already this season.

What to Watch

Canadiens: Devante Smith-Pelly picked up his first point as a Hab in Saturday’s game against the Coyotes, assisting on Lars Eller’s game winning goal. Smith-Pelly also had five shots on the night, a new high mark for him during his time with the Habs, and his second most shots in a game this season.

Lightning: With 36 goals in 67 games, Steven Stamkos is the Lightning’s leading goal scorer, he’s third in the league in that category. Tyler Johnson meanwhile is having a breakout year, leading the Bolts in scoring with 64 points already this season.



What’s at Stake

With a couple of days off and home ice advantage, the Canadiens have another golden opportunity to beat their toughest divisional foes this season, and give themselves a serious boost in the final playoff push. The Lighting are a mere two points behind the Habs, although Montreal holds game in hand, making Tuesday’s match one of the most meaningful to date this year.

Who’s Out

Alexei Emelin (shoulder) seems close to a return, although he will still be out of the lineup on Tuesday. At last check, P.A. Parenteau was slated to be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game since returning from his own injury.

The Lightning are missing Matt Carle (hip) and J.T. Brown (upper body), but are otherwise healthy.

What Else

For an eighth time this season, the Canadiens managed to win Saturday’s game against the Coyotes despite only scoring one goal against a goalie. In four of Carey Price’s seven shutout victories this year, the team has only managed to give their goalie a one goal cushion into the final minutes of play, once even needing overtime to earn a 1-0 win.

The Question Mark

With Alexei Emelin nearing a return, how would you set the defensive pairings for the Habs with everyone healthy?

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.