Game 51 Preview: Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens

This game has the potential to divide fans who are on #TeamTank and #TeamNeverCheerForLosing. I think there’s a middle ground for this season: lose every game — except for the ones against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

The injury notes from Colin’s preview yesterday still stand: Bobby Ryan out, Colin White in. Mike Condon and Carey Price start on the second-half of a back-to-back for both teams.

Here are the expected line combos:

Some notes:

• Via TSN 1200: “At this time last year, the Habs were 1st in the Atlantic with 67 points; Sens were 2nd with 60 points. This year, they’re 6th and 7th with 48 and 43 points respectively.”
• Although White lined up on the first line yesterday, he actually played the least among Sens forwards (11:20). Pageau, Smith, and Pyatt played 17+.
• Like the Sens, the Habs are looking to make some moves at this year’s trade deadline. Pacioretty and Galchenyk, two of the high-end names mentioned in rumours, have been producing as of late. Patches has 9 points (6 goals) in his last 10 games, while Galchenyuk has 7 points (5 assists).
• A dude named Jakub Jerabek has been the Habs second best defender (after Jeff Petry) with Shea Weber out. In his rookie season, Jerabek has suited up for 25 games (4 points) and put up an even CF% rating.
• The Habs depth (Plekanec, Lekhonen, De la Rose) has been disappointing from a production standpoint. They’ve been missing Phillip Danault due to injury, but he returned against Anaheim yesterday and contributed an assist in the Habs 5-2 victory.