Game Day Preview: Canadiens @ Canucks ‘Twas the stretch before Christmas for the Vancouver Canucks (16-14-4) who play four home games between now and the National Hockey League holiday break. Tonight they play host to the Montreal Canadiens (15-12-6) at Rogers Arena. The teams are tied in the overall standings with 36 points.

VANCOUVER – ‘Twas the stretch before Christmas for the Vancouver Canucks (16-14-4) who play four home games between now and the National Hockey League holiday break. Tonight they play host to the Montreal Canadiens (15-12-6) at Rogers Arena. The teams are tied in the overall standings with 36 points.

The Canucks are looking to bounce back from a lost weekend that saw them drop a 4-2 decision in San Jose on Saturday and a 6-3 outcome in Las Vegas on Sunday. Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake Virtanen had the Canuck goals in Sin City while Jacob Markstrom started both weekend games but gave way to Michael DiPietro in the third period on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. It was the first time this season Travis Green made an in-game goaltending switch. It was also DiPietro’s season debut and his second NHL appearance. The 20-year-old stopped six of the seven Vegas shots he faced in 8:23 of action.

Virtanen has now scored in back to back games. His goal in Vegas came on a third period power play and was his first of the season with the man-advantage. Virtanen will skate alongside Elias Pettersson and JT Miller tonight. Miller has gone four games without a point. He hadn’t gone more than two games without hitting the score sheet prior to this cold spell.

Bo Horvat will center the second line with Brock Boeser and Antoine Roussel. The captain is still looking for his first goal at home this season. All nine of his goals – including one on Saturday in San Jose – have been scored on the road. Horvat’s last home goal came on March 20th of last season against Ottawa.

The Canucks are 1-3 in their past four games and have not held a lead in any of those contests. That stretch includes a 1-0 win over Carolina last Thursday that was scoreless until Pettersson scored the game’s lone goal 40 seconds into overtime. The last time the Canucks played with a lead was at 5-4 against Buffalo on Saturday December 7th.

Jacob Markstrom will make his fifth straight start in goal. That’s his longest stretch of consecutive starts this season. He was in goal for the team’s first four games of the season in October.

The Habs arrive in town on the heels of a 2-1 loss at home to Detroit on Saturday. Tomas Tatar’s 12th goal of the season snapped Jonathan Bernier’s shutout bid with 47 seconds remaining in the hockey game. Carey Price made 18 saves as the Habs outshot the Wings 43-20. The loss snapped a three game win streak. Overall, Montreal is 4-1-1 in its last six outings.

Former Vancouver Giant Brendan Gallagher leads the Canadiens in goals with 14 on the season. Tomas Tatar is the team’s leading scorer with 12+17=29. With 10 goals, Shea Weber sits third among all NHL defensemen in that category trailing only Washington’s John Carlson and Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton who have both scored 12 times. With 27 points, Weber is sixth in defenseman scoring.

No team in the league gets more shots on goal that Montreal. The Habs lead the league averaging 35.0 shots per game.

Carey Price has been busy this season starting 26 of the Habs xx games. Only Calgary’s David Rittich and Toronto’s Frederik Andersen have started more games this season. Price owns 13 of his team’s 15 victories.

Montreal is playing the first of seven straight to close out the calendar year. They will move on to Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg before Christmas and then travel to Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The Canadiens next home game is January 2nd.

POSSIBLE CANUCKS LINE-UP

Miller-Pettersson-Virtanen

Roussel-Horvat-Boeser

Pearson-Gaudette-Leivo

Motte-Beagle-Sutter

Hughes-Tanev

Fantenberg-Myers

Benn-Stecher

Markstrom

POSSIBLE CANADIENS LINE-UP

Tatar-Danault-Gallagher

Lehkonen-Domi-Armia

Cousins-Suzuki-Weal

Poehling-Thompson-Barber

Chiarot-Weber

Kulak-Petry

Leskinen-Fleury

Price