3. The Canadiens are currently tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets with 81 points, though it's the Blue Jackets who hold down the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference with tie-breaking procedures in place. The Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes - who own the other Wild Card spot - are both idle on Thursday night, but they face each other in Ohio on Friday. The Hurricanes go into that game with 83 points in 69 games.
4. Thursday's contest takes place at NYCB LIVE/Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders' former full-time home in Uniondale. They are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and now sit in second place in the Metropolitan division with 87 points. The Islanders are just two points back from the Washington Capitals, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are right on their tails with 85 - though New York holds a game in hand. In their last outing, the Isles blanked the Blue Jackets 2-0 at Nassau on Monday. Ryan Pulock and Anders Lee lit the lamp for New York, while Thomas Greiss made 31 saves for his fifth shutout of the season. Josh Bailey is the Islanders' leading scorer against Montreal, with 17 points (5G, 12A) in 33 career games.
5. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. You can catch all the action on TSN2 and RDS on television, and on TSN 690 and 98,5 fm on the radio. The Habs fly back to Montreal immediately following the game, and play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at the Bell Centre.