The Montreal Canadiens had some new looking lines at practice this morning as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at the Bell Centre. It will be their first game back at home after playing seven straight road games surrounding their short Christmas break.
The Canadiens started that road trip extremely well, winning three of four games in western Canada over the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets while falling 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers. They struggled finishing the trip after Christmas with three consecutive losses to the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Lightning.
The Habs had built some momentum leading into their short break, but three straight losses was a demoralizing way to finish the calendar year.