Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins: Five Things You Need to Know

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Here are five things to know about the Canadiens-Bruins game in TD Garden Sunday (7 pm, TSN2, RDS, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM):

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The match: This is the second half of a straight series for both teams, but the Bruins will be a little more rested because they played in New Jersey on Saturday and posted a 5-2 win. The Canadiens were in Detroit, where they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Red Wings. They also lost goalie Jake Allen after Detroit’s Dylan Larkin was pushed to the crease late in the first period. The Canadiens have earned points in their last three games with one win and two losses in overtime.

Who is in goal? That question takes on additional meaning because coach Dominique Ducharme won’t be tempted to play Allen in back-to-back games. Your pick will be between Samuel Montembeault, who played well in Detroit on Saturday after allowing goals on the first two shots he faced, and Cayden Primeau, who was called up from the Laval Rocket after playing Saturday afternoon. Primeau appeared in four NHL games last season. He is 4-4-0 in the AHL with an average of 2.42 goals against and a .906 save percentage. Linus Ullmark is expected to start for Boston after Jeremy Swayman played for New Jersey.

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Shooting blanks: Some of the players the Canadiens have on offense haven’t delivered, and they haven’t done much on defense, either. Christian Dvorak can win the matchups by 54 percent, but he has only two assists in his last 10 games and has minus 14 in that stretch. Mike Hoffman is six games without a goal and is under 8. Speaking of negative players, defender David Savard was on the ice for Detroit’s two goals in regulation Saturday and is under 8 on the season. Don’t be surprised if you lose your place in the top four when Joel Edmundson is healthy.

Marching on a roll: Brad Marchand led the Bruins with two goals Saturday to extend their scoring streak to six games. Marchand has matured and, at 33, is not the disgusting agitator he was in his youth. He is the Bruins’ top scorer with eight goals and 18 points. Patrice Bergevin, a perennial candidate for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL, had one goal and one assist in New Jersey and has six goals and 13 points, while David Pastrnak has four goals and 12 points. Defender Charlie McAvoy has one goal and nine assists after receiving three assists on Saturday.

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By the numbers: A quick look at the standings shows the Canadiens are just four points behind Boston in the Atlantic Division, but the Bruins have four games in hand. While the Canadiens have made some progress lately, they must win 42 of the remaining 66 games to have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. There are no numbers to indicate that the Canadiens are a playoff team. While the Canadiens’ penalty has not allowed a goal in five of the last six games, the PK is ranked 29th in the league, while the power play is ranked 27th. The Canadiens are ranked 19th in the league. shots per game, but 31 in goals per game. Montreal averages 2.13 goals per game and yields 3.31. The only teams with a larger deficit are Chicago and Arizona.

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