Overview
- Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET, with TSN2 and RDS in Canada, Scripps regionally for Florida, and ESPN+ streaming; BetMGM lists Panthers -142, Canadiens +119 with a total of 6.
- Montreal turns to Samuel Montembeault for his first NHL action since Dec. 9 following an AHL conditioning stint with Laval.
- With games on consecutive nights, Florida is expected to start Daniil Tarasov after Sergei Bobrovsky played Monday.
- Form guide: Florida is 9-4-1 in December after a 5-3 victory over Washington, and Montreal has earned points in five straight.
- Alex Texier practiced on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield for Montreal, and Florida remains without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.