The Montreal Canadiens (47-22-10) are in Sunrise, Florida to take on the Panthers (36-28-15) Sunday evening. The game starts early at 5:00 and airs on RDS and Sportsnet.

Match Up

This is the fifth and final meeting between the Habs and Panthers, it’s also their third meeting in as many weeks. Three of the four games these teams have played this season have gone to overtime or beyond, with the Canadiens winning the only game decided in regulation. The Habs have a 3-0-1 record so far against the Panthers this year.

What to Watch

Canadiens: Carey Price has been stuck on 41 wins since the last time the Habs and Panthers met just over a week ago. Price needs just one win to match the franchise record currently shared by Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante, but he’s allowed eight goals on 62 shots in his two most recent starts.

Panthers: Brandon Pirri has been lightning the lamp at a furious pace since the All-Star Game. The 23 year old has 18 goals in 26 games since the break, but just a single assist in that span. On the season, Pirri has 24 points in 46 games, 22 goals and only two assists.

What’s at Stake

The Lightning have once again caught the Habs in the standings, but hold a game in hand after shutting out the Panthers on Saturday. Both teams have guaranteed themselves home ice advantage in the first round, it’s now just a question of which team will claim the division, and which will have to settle for second place.

Who’s Out

The Canadiens are healthy heading into Sunday’s game. Friday, they took advantage of their deep roster to rest Andrei Markov before the playoffs.

The Panthers are without Nick Bjugstad (back) and back up goalie Al Montoya (groin).

What Else

Don’t look now, but the Habs power play has actually been somewhat effective over the past couple of weeks. The Canadiens have scored with the man advantage in each of their last four games. Granted, the Habs have ample opportunity, earning 17 power plays, well above their previous average of 2.82 power plays per game. On top of going 5-for-17 in the past four games, the Canadiens have also scored twice exactly one second after their power play expired during this recent run.

The Question Mark

How did the Habs perform this season? Grade the top-6 forwards, bottom-6, defense and goaltending.

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.