MONTREAL – The Canadiens are looking to bounce back from a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins when they face the Los Angeles Kings at the Bell Centre on Thursday.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE

Want to keep tabs on all Habs games this season? Well, you’re in luck! It’s Calendar Night presented by Mitsubishi Electric, so be sure to arrive early: the first 10,000 fans at the Bell Centre will get their hands on a desk calendar.

TEAM COMPARISONS

The Habs are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Penguins on Canadian Thanksgiving Monday at the Bell Centre. Montreal overcame a two-goal deficit and held a 3-2 lead in the second period with goals from Kaiden Guhle, Juraj Slafkovsky and Emil Heineman, but the Penguins regained control of the game by scoring four times. Samuel Montembeault finished the night with 25 saves.

Meanwhile, the Kings fell 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. The Leafs were up 5-0 before Alex Turcotte and Kevin Fiala found the back of the net. John Tavares notched the Leafs’ sixth goal of the game. David Rittich, who was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots, was replaced by Pheonix Copley. In total, both goaltenders made a combined 20 saves. It was LA’s third loss in a row and first regulation loss of the season. The Kings (1-1-2) began regular season play on the East Coast with games in Buffalo, Boston, Ottawa, and Toronto, and will wrap up the eastern portion of their sojourn in Montreal before heading back West for games in Anaheim and Las Vegas. Habs fans will recognize some familiar faces as Phillip Danault and Joel Edmundson played key roles for the team during their time in Montreal.

BY THE NUMBERS: MTL-LAK

The Canadiens will be looking to turn things around against the Kings as the Club’s last win over their Pacific Division opponents dates back to November 9, 2019. Only three players from that Habs team are still with the Canadiens: Joel Armia, Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki. In the last 10 meetings between the two squads, the Kings have held the upper hand with eight wins.

Here’s how the Kings and Canadiens match up by the numbers:

LINEUP NEWS

On Wednesday, head coach Martin St-Louis said that Jayden Struble, who has been evaluated daily for an upper-body injury, is ‘ready to play’ but did not confirm his presence for Thursday’s game. St-Louis also admitted he was uncertain about Kirby Dach’s status as the 23-year-old forward took a therapy day and did not practice with his teammates.

The Canadiens will hold a morning skate at the Bell Centre in preparation for their matchup against the Kings.

David Savard is expected to play in his 800th career NHL game. The veteran defenseman has amassed 227 points (53G, 174A) in 799 regular season games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and Canadiens. He became a Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning in 2021.

Any changes to the lineup are likely to be known when St-Louis addresses the media. Subscribe to or follow the team on YouTube, Facebook and X  (@CanadiensMTL) to catch his press conference, and keep an eye on the Canadiens social accounts for any potential lineup news. For the full official lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts closer to puck drop.