MTL@VAN: 'We want to push the bar higher'

VANCOUVER - The Canadiens are seeking their fifth straight win over the Canucks on Monday night, but a significant challenge awaits at Rogers Arena.

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Travis Green's squad is flying high after sweeping a two-game set against the League-leading Maple Leafs on home ice.
How stingy were the Canucks during the series? They held the top scoring team in the NHL to just three goals and kept both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner from registering a single point.
Goaltender Thatcher Demko is a big reason why Toronto left the Lower Mainland empty-handed. He turned away 68 of 71 shots, and is now riding a three-game winning streak.
The 25-year-old San Diego native will make his third start of the season against the Canadiens tonight, but he hasn't been sharp versus Montreal to date. He surrendered seven goals in a losing effort on January 21 at Rogers Arena and another four on February 2 in a defeat at the Bell Centre.

One player the Habs won't have to worry about containing in their first of six straight road contests is Swedish sniper Elias Pettersson, who remains sidelined with an upper-body injury.
There's nothing interim head coach Dominique Ducharme would like more than to see his group pick up right where they left off in a 7-1 rout of the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
"If we look at our last four games, we're heading in the right direction. We just have to build on it. We collected five out of six points at home. That makes six out of eight points in the last four games. We just want to continue building our game and improving on what we put in place," said Ducharme, following Monday's morning skate. "We talk about details. We talk about little things. We're adding things slowly and we must improve what we've put in place."

The last time the Canadiens travelled to British Columbia, they combined for 17 goals in three games. Five of those markers came courtesy of right-winger Tyler Toffoli, whose 15 goals have him tied for second in the NHL alongside Edmonton's Connor McDavid.
Coming off a three-assist effort versus Winnipeg, Tomas Tatar believes the team continues to make serious strides under Ducharme.
"We still have a lot of plays on the ice to improve and do better. I think we're getting more comfortable with the system, which is good to see. We just want to keep building. We started somewhere and we want to push the bar higher," insisted Tatar. "We were rewarded last game, which was great. But we want to be better and we want to build off it."
Carey Price will get the start in goal for Montreal. It will be his 15th outing of the season.

'I want to improve everything in my game'
Defenseman Alexander Romanov has just 22 games under his belt, so he knows he still has a lot of learning to do.
Nevertheless, the young Russian's transition to North American ice is going smoothly.
He ranks sixth on the roster in average ice time per game (17:40), sits second in hits (54), and has registered one goal and five points while amassing a plus-3 differential.
"I want to improve everything in my game because I'm never happy with how I'm playing," explained Romanov, who was selected 38th overall in 2018. "Every single moment, every single game, I want to upgrade everything I have a little bit."

That's where watching and learning from veteran rearguard Jeff Petry comes into play.
Romanov is a huge fan of Petry's world-class skillset and he's paying extra close attention to his every move.
"He's a very good player. The way he plays on the blueline, it's amazing," praised Romanov, regarding the Canadiens' leading point-getter. "I want his shot and I want his moves on the blueline. It's awesome."

For his part, Ducharme is eager to see Romanov develop as the campaign rolls on.
"It might sound cliché, but he's just starting out in the League and he has things to learn both offensively and defensively. In his case, it's really about recognizing situations and reacting," said Ducharme. "You can't buy experience, so he's slowly taking steps forward and he has to keep on going that way."
Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on Sportsnet Pacific, TSN2 and RDS, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm.