Gabriel Landeskog will be in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 15, and Jarome Iginla will join a unique NHL club Saturday when the Avalanche play in Montreal at the Bell Centre in the third game of their four-game road trip.
Here are the GAME NOTES.
Landeskog, who has missed 10 games with a lower-body injury, is expected to skate on a line with Carl Soderberg and Mikhail Grigorenko.
"I'm excited to be back and I feel good," Landeskog told reporters after an optional morning skate. "This is one of the best buildings in the league, especially on a Saturday night, so it will be fun. But put all that aside, we came here to get two points and that's what we're going to try to do."
As for Iginla, he'll become the 16th player to play in 1,500 regular-season NHL games. He discussed his MILESTONE GAME with NHL.com.
"It's really hard to wrap your head around how many games he's got," Landeskog said.
Calvin Pickard starts after making 29 saves Thursday in the Avalanche's 4-2 win in Boston.
Cody McLeod and Eric Gelinas will be scratched.
While the Avalanche (10-14-1) snapped a six-game losing streak Thursday and are a respectable 6-6-0 on the road, the Canadiens (18-6-3) have been on a roll since the season began. They're 13-1-1 at the Bell Centre.
Goalie Carey Price is 15-3-1 with two shutouts, a 1.83 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Forward Alexander Radulov -- remember him? -- has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) after signing a one-year, $5.75 million contract. Shea Weber leads the defense with 8-10-18.
Probable Avalanche lineup:
FORWARDS Rene Bourque -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Jarome Iginla Mikko Rantanen -- John Mitchell -- Matt Duchene Gabriel Landeskog -- Carl Soderberg -- Mikhail Grigorenko Andreas Martinsen -- Joe Colborne -- Blake Comeau
DEFENSE Fedor Tyutin -- Tyson Barrie Francois Beauchemin -- Cody Goloubef Nikita Zadorov -- Patrick Wiercioch
GOALIES Calvin Pickard Semyon Varlamov