"Our fans have been awesome all year supporting us," Panthers forward Anthony Duclair said. "They've helped us out in quite a few games this year with some comeback wins. We're going to need them. It's no different tonight. We're just happy to be back home playing in front of them."
Despite closing out their recent three-game swing through Canada with a 5-2 loss at Toronto on Sunday, the Panthers still managed to find plenty of success during their road-heavy stretch. In their last 10 games, they posted a strong 7-2-1 record while outscoring the opposition 36-27.
Jonathan Huberdeau led the Panthers with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) during that stretch to increase his team-high point total to 90. Leading the NHL with 69 assists, he needs just two more to pass Joe Juneau (70, 1992-93) for the most assists by a left winger in a season in NHL history.
Additionally, Huberdeau is also one assist away from the 400th of his NHL career.
Joining the Panthers for their trip in Canada was the team's three trade deadline acquisitions. Making an impact right away in those three games, Claude Giroux dished out four assists, Ben Chiarot posted an assist, six hits and six blocks, and Robert Hagg had an assist and five hits.
Tonight, all three players are expected to play their first home game with the Panthers.
"A little bit of a blur with nine out of 10 on the road, kind of all over the place," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "It's good to be back [at home]. These games are always hard games. We've got to make sure our energy level and enthusiasm is at a high tonight."
Last in the Atlantic Division at 18-37-11, the Canadiens have lost seven of their last 10 games, including a 3-2 shootout loss at New Jersey on Sunday. Struggling at both ends of the ice, they rank 32nd on offense (2.53 goals per game) and 31st on defense (3.71 goals allowed per game).
Led by two up-and-comers up front, Nick Suzuki paces Montreal in goals (18), assists (31) and points (49), while Cole Caufield ranks second in scoring with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists).
Between the pipes, Jake Allen, who has started five of the last six games, has gone 7-17-4 with a .908 save percentage, while Sam Montembeault sits at 7-13-6 with a .895 save percentage.
Their third head-to-head matchup this season, the Panthers have posted a 2-0-0 record against the Canadiens. Last meeting only a few days ago on March 24, Sam Reinhart's power-play tally in the third period helped lead the Panthers to a 4-3 win in a hard-fought game at Bell Centre.
Needing just four more wins to match Roberto Luongo's club record for wins in a season (35), Sergei Bobrovsky will man the crease for the Panthers in tonight's tilt. Sitting at 31-6-3 with a .916 save percentage, he owns a 12-7-1 record over 20 career appearances against Montreal.
"It's going to be a hard game just like last time," Duclair said. "We don't expect anything different. They're a young team with a lot of intensity. They're going to make you battle for every loose puck. We've got to be ready right off the get-go."
