Time: 7:30 PM EST Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, PQ, Canada, H3B 5E8 / MONTREAL -- The Colorado Avalanche have been the hottest team in the NHL, winning every game they played so far in the month of January. But with just two games remaining before the All-Star break, the Montreal Canadiens will be looking to capitalize on the Avalanche playing the second half of a pair of back-to-back games in the Great White North. The Avalanche (27-16-3), who haven't lost a game since Dec. 27, beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Monday night for their 10th straight win. It is Colorado's longest streak since they won 12 straight from Jan. 10-Feb. 7, 1999. The Habs (19-22-6) haven't had as much success as the Avalanche this season, and find themselves cemented on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff spot. Right winger Brendan Gallagher knows that Montreal will have to bring their a-game if they want to walk away with the W against Colorado." It's definitely a challenge," Gallagher said after practice on Monday. "I feel that team's really feeling good about themselves right now, with a lot of wins as of late." Leading the charge for Colorado this season is Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the team with 23 goals and 36 assists. The game plan for Canadiens head coach Claude Julien will be to utilize his last change to create difficult matchups for MacKinnon. MacKinnon failed to score Monday, ending his five-game goal streak and nine-game point streak." I feel like it'll be a test," said Gallagher. "He's a guy who likes to play with speed. You've got to play him tight. You can't give him too much room in the neutral zone, you've got to play him tight, get in his face. He's a good player, you just have to make him work and not give him room." Shutting down MacKinnon could prove to be a challenge for the Canadiens who, with a minus-28, have the third-worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference, ahead of just the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres." The points are too valuable now to lose games," said Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty. "For us to pick up points, we have to limit those big mistakes, and focus on the next shift." The Avalanche, who haven't made the playoffs since the 2013-14 season, are playing well above .500 hockey, and currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. It's a far cry from where Colorado was this time last year." Obviously changing the culture is something that's being thrown around," Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog, who scored his 17th goal of the season Monday night, said. "But that doesn't happen overnight. It starts with hard work, and everyone buying into the system. Everybody buys in to what we're trying to accomplish here and back home in Colorado." Blake Comeau had the game winner for Colorado late in the third, with his ninth goal of the season. The Canadiens, meanwhile, are coming off a loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, their third loss against their original six foes in as many matchups last week.
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