• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Panthers-Canadiens Preview

Jan 7, 2010 - 2:11 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Florida (17-19-7) at Montreal (21-21-3), 7:30 p.m. EDT

While the Montreal Canadiens have enjoyed plenty of success on the road lately, they haven't won at home in a month.

Montreal tries to avoid its longest home losing streak in nine seasons Thursday night when it faces the Florida Panthers.

Despite Tuesday's 4-2 loss at Washington, the Canadiens (21-21-3) are 7-3-1 in their last 11 games away from home. Montreal's 5-4 victory over Florida on Dec. 31 capped off a 6-1-0 trip.

"That's awesome," Benoit Pouliot said following that victory. "Now we have to do the same thing at home."

That's been easier said than done.

Montreal has lost four straight at Bell Centre, scoring just once in its last two home games. The Canadiens, who haven't won at home since a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 7, are trying to avoid dropping five straight on their own ice for the first time since a seven-game slide Oct. 28-Nov. 25, 2000.

Florida (17-19-7) hasn't exactly been thriving on the road. The Panthers have dropped eight of 11 away from home, including a 3-2 loss in Toronto on Tuesday. Defenseman Bryan McCabe scored both Florida goals, while team scoring leader leading Nathan Horton assisted on the second to give the Panthers a 2-0 first-period lead they failed to maintain.

Horton has a goal and four assists in his last three games versus Montreal, including a goal and an assist in the Dec. 31 loss.

Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov, who has three goals and nine assists in nine games since returning from a sliced tendon in his ankle, matched a career high with three assists in the New Year's Eve victory. Markov also had the only shootout goal the last time these clubs met in Montreal, giving the Canadiens a 6-5 victory Jan. 4 of last season.

Montreal has not announced a goaltender for Thursday's game, but Jaroslav Halak might be a good choice. Halak, 5-1-0 with a 2.15 GAA in last six starts overall, is 3-0-0 with a 3.25 GAA in three career outings versus the Panthers.

Carey Price, who has started and lost the Canadiens' two games since Halak made 32 saves in the Dec. 31 victory, is 2-2-0 with a 2.75 GAA in four career starts against the Panthers.

Whichever goaltender starts could get a boost from the league's top power-play unit. The Canadiens are converting at a 25.0-percent clip with the man advantage, and will look to take advantage of Florida's penalty kill that's ranked in the bottom third of the NHL (79.0 percent).

Tomas Vokoun could get the start for the Panthers on Thursday despite going 1-3-0 with a 3.54 GAA in last four starts. Vokoun, who was originally drafted by the Canadiens in 1994, is 2-2-0 with a 2.50 GAA in five career starts at Montreal.

Backup Scott Clemmensen is 3-0-0 versus the Canadiens.

Center Stephen Weiss, the Panthers' leader with 18 goals, hasn't found the back of the net in the last five games. The last time he went six contests without a goal was a seven-game drought last March 3-14.

Montreal has won six of its last seven meetings with Florida.