MTL@BOS: What you need to know

BOSTON – The Canadiens renew their storied rivalry with the Bruins as they round out their three-game road trip at TD Garden on Saturday night.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

1. Martin St-Louis’ troops let one slip by in the Nation’s capital on Thursday, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens looked to build off Wednesday’s road win against the Devils, but the Sens had different plans at Canadian Tire Centre. Montreal conceded twice in the opening frame to allow Ottawa the momentum, but Cole Caufield responded (his fourth in four games) to cut the home team’s lead in half heading into the intermission. That was as close as the visitors would get, however, as the Sens pulled away in the second and third periods with four unanswered goals en route to the victory. Michael Pezzetta found the back of the net with less than five minutes remaining for the bleu-blanc-rouge but the result remained in favor of the Senators. Cayden Primeau made 31 saves in the loss.

2. The Bruins are in pursuit of a four-game winning streak when they take to the ice at TD Garden on Saturday night. Boston made it three in a row on Thursday, thanks to David Pastrnak’s hat-trick that lifted the B’s 5-2 over the Colorado Avalanche. The Czech forward paces the Boston offense with 64 points, followed by Brad Marchand (41) and Charlie Coyle (34) who round out the top three. Jeremy Swayman, who, along with Pastrnak, will be teamed up with Nick Suzuki at the upcoming 2024 All-Star Game, has started each of the Bruins’ last four games and owns a 14-3-7 record on the season. Jim Montgomery’s contingent ranks atop the Eastern Conference with 63 points at 27-8-9,  just one point behind the Vancouver Canucks for the League lead.

3. The Habs and Bruins, a rivalry that dates back to 1924, will meet for the 760^th time in the regular season on Saturday. Montreal leads the all-time series 364-281-103-11 (W-L-T-OTL), but the 2023-24 edition of the series is tied at one apiece, with each team having defended home ice in November. The Habs earned a 3-2 overtime at the Bell Centre on Nov. 11, before the Bruins redeemed themselves one week later with a 5-2 triumph at The Garden. Tonight’s matchup is the third of four this season. The long-time rivals will face off once more north of the border on March 14.

4. The bleu-blanc-rouge will hit the ice in preparation for Saturday’s game at 10:30 a.m. ET. Any changes to the lineup against the Bruins may be known during the St-Louis' pregame press conference. Fans can tune in on the Canadiens’ accounts on YouTube, Facebook and X.

5. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. Habs fans can catch the action on CBC, Citytv and TVA Sports, or listen in on the radio on TSN 690 or 98.5 fm.