2. Tanner Pearson is set for his 600th career game on Thursday in Tempe. The 31-year-old, acquired by the Canadiens on Sept. 19, scored in his NHL debut against the Islanders on Nov. 14, 2013, and has since collected 277 points over 11 seasons in the League. Meanwhile, should Jake Allen get the call in goal, it will mark a 400th NHL game for the 11-year veteran. Thus far, the netminder owns a 2.70 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and 24 shutouts in his career. Sticking to the theme of milestones, Brendan Gallagher is two points shy of reaching the 400-mark.
3. The Coyotes (4-4-1) enter tonight’s game on the tail end of a back-to-back, having played in Anaheim on Wednesday evening. Logan Cooley, the 2022 third-overall pick, stole the headlines with his first career NHL goal but it was the Ducks who got the last laugh with a 4-3 overtime win at home. Lawson Crouse had the other two Arizona goals.
Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz pace the Yotes offense with eight points apiece, while three others, including defenseman Sean Durzi, post up second with seven points. At the other end of the ice, Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram have seen a near 50/50 split in goal. Given the former started against the Ducks, the Canadiens are likely to see Ingram between the pipes for Arizona on Thursday night.
4. Neither the Habs nor the Yotes have been strangers to one-goal games this season. Of the combined 18 contests the teams have played this year, 12 have been decided by a single tally. Montreal holds a record of 4-0-2 in games of that sort, while Arizona’s line reads 2-3-1 in neck-and-neck decisions.
5. Get your coffee ready! Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action on TSN2 or RDS on television, or listen in on TSN 690 or 98,5 fm on the radio.
