Canadiens vs. Flames: Five things you should know

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The Canadiens have been outscored 48-28 and are averaging only two goals per game, while the Flames are averaging 3.42.

Here are five things you should know about Thursday’s game between the Canadiens (3-10-1) and Calgary Flames (7-2-3) at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Heavy workload: Canadiens goalie Jake Allen has been busy this season in Carey Price’s absence, playing in 12 of the first 14 games while posting a 3-8-1 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Backup Samuel Montembeault is 0-2-0 with a 3.52 GAA and a .887 save percentage. “It’s just understanding your body and understanding there are maybe times where you need a little bit more rest, times when you don’t,” Allen said. “Just try to keep yourself as sharp as possible and it’s the situation I’m in until we get Carey back and we can get back into a normal rotation again. But it’s been good … it’s been a good opportunity for me.”

Firing blanks: The Canadiens have been outscored 48-28 and are averaging only two goals per game. The six players on the third and fourth lines in Tuesday’s 3-2 OT loss to the Los Angeles Kings (Artturi Lehkonen, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Michael Pezzetta, Cédric Paquette and Alex Belzile) have combined for two goals this season — both by Evans. Defenceman Ben Chiarot is tied for second on the team in goals with three, one behind Mike Hoffman.

Not firing blanks: The Flames have outscored their opponents 41-26 and are averaging 3.42 goals per game. Their offence is led by Elias Lindholm (7-7-14), Johnny Gaudreau (4-10-14) and Matthew Tkachuk (6-5-11). Milan Lucic — a player Canadiens fans love to hate from his days with the Boston Bruins — has 4-2-6 totals and as many goals as Hoffman.

Streak ends: The Flames had their 10-game point streak (7-0-3) come to an end with a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks Tuesday in Calgary. “Just start a new one,” Lucic said after the game as the Flames prepared for a seven-game road trip. “You want to start the road trip off on the right note. The most important thing right now is to regroup, reset … get ready to have a good first period in Montreal and get rolling from there. We’ve built a foundation, we’ve built an identity, and something that we can go back to to have success.”

Muller returns: Old friend Kirk Muller is the associate coach of the Flames under Darryl Sutter. He is returning to the Bell Centre for the first time since being fired by the Canadiens last season as associate coach (along with head coach Claude Julien). “The Montreal Canadiens have been great to me, the city’s been amazing to me, everyone’s treated me great there from Geoff Molson down,” Muller said after taking the Calgary job. “I’ve had great memories there, great friends, great experiences and because of all that I still walk away saying I was pretty fortunate to play there and be a part of it. It’s all good on my end, but I’m moving forward and moving ahead and a great opportunity presented itself in Calgary. It’s another great hockey town, so I’m excited, I’m in a good place and ready to go and get the season going.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

1. Stu Cowan: Carey Price shouldn't have to be Mr. Cool all the time
2. With Carey Price out, Canadiens' bright spotlight falls on Jake Allen

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