(My Sportsbook) - After getting their post-All-Star break schedule off to a strong start, the
Florida Panthers will attempt to maintain the momentum when the struggling
Montreal Canadiens enter the BankAtlantic Center this evening.
The Panthers dropped their final two contests, both at home, heading into their six-day hiatus, but returned to action with a 3-2 victory over visiting Philadelphia on Tuesday. Michael Frolik notched a goal and two assists to lead the way offensively, while goaltender Tomas Vokoun made 33 saves to help Florida record its first home win since January 10.
David Booth and Bryan McCabe also had goals for the Panthers, who halted a three-game home losing streak and improved to 11-6-5 as the host this season.
Montreal plays the finale of a five-game road trip tonight and has dropped its last three tests following a 5-4 shootout win at Ottawa on January 17. In their first outing after the break, the Canadiens were dealt a 5-3 loss by Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Recent All-Star Game MVP Alex Kovalev had a goal for Montreal, which also received tallies from Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse in defeat.
Andrei Markov assisted on Lapierre's goal to extend his point streak to nine games. The standout defenseman has two goals and nine assists over that stretch, having notched one helper in all nine contests.
Carey Price, the Eastern Conference's starting goaltender for Sunday's All- Star Game, struggled between the pipes in Tuesday's setback, with the 21-year- old stopping only 19-of-24 shots.
He and the Habs will try to get back on track against a Florida team that's had no success when facing Montreal as of late. The Panthers have lost five in a row in this series, including all three matchups this season, and the Canadiens have emerged victorious in each of their three most recent trips to the BankAtlantic Center.
Montreal, which currently occupies the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 60 points, owns a 12-10-2 road record for the year. Florida is tied with Pittsburgh for the East's No. 8 seed with 52 points.
