The Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames are all in action Monday night. You can listen to the Canadiens battle the Hurricanes on TSN Radio 690 Montreal starting at 5:30pm et/2:30pm pt, the Senators and Sabres on TSN Radio 1200 Ottawa at 5:30pm et/2:30pm pt and finally the Jets vs. the Wild on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg at 6pm ct/7pm et.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30pm et/4:30pm pt)

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to bounce back after a third period collapse against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise Sunday night as they square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second of back-to-back games.

Assistant coach Steve Spott said Jonathan Bernier, who missed last night's game due to the flu, is feeling better, but seemed to suggest James Reimer would get the call again tonight, according to TSN Radio's Jonas Siegel.

Richard Panik, who left last night's game after a big hit from Scottie Upshall, will not play against his former team for precautionary reasons. Trevor Smith jumps back into the lineup after sitting against the Panthers.

Toronto (20-13-3) owns the league's top offense with 3.33 goals per game, but that output has failed to yield much success lately. The Maple Leafs have dropped four of five, most recently to Florida 6-4 on Sunday after allowing four third-period goals.

"I didn't think we were very good and we had a 4-2 lead going into the third," coach Randy Carlyle said. "You should be able to take that home and play a solid enough 20 minutes to get yourself two points. That's the disappointing part."

Toronto has been extremely poor defensively of late, yielding 21 goals in that five-game span even with a 4-0 victory at Dallas on Tuesday.

Still, they've found success against the Lightning. Toronto has won eight of the last 12 meetings, including a 5-2 home victory on Nov. 20 behind two goals from James van Riemsdyk.

"Toronto, every time we've played them, they've been good games," Cooper said. "They have a lot of skill on that team. Similar to us, most of the lines can put the puck in the net ... This will be a tough one for us."

Bernier made 26 saves in last month's win over the Lightning and is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA in three career meetings.

He stopped 43 shots in the win at Dallas after giving up a career worst-tying seven goals in a 7-4 loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 20.

Despite their reliance on offense, the Lightning know they're at their best with Ben Bishop in net.

Playing with a familiar swagger since Bishop's return from injury, the Lightning look to stay atop the Atlantic Division Monday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in a battle of the NHL's top two scoring teams.

Bishop waded through a rough patch in early December before suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 15. Prior to that poor stretch, however, he ranked as one of the top goalies in the league, going 16-3-2 and leading Tampa Bay (22-11-4) to the top of the NHL standings.

He started his first game since the injury Saturday and immediately returned the Lightning to their early season success with a 2-1 win over Carolina.

"He's a presence in the net," coach Jon Cooper told Tampa Bay's official site. "I'm sure teams that come in here are probably thinking they've got to pick a corner a little bit better than normal just because of his size in the net.

"He's in control back there. He gives us a lot of confidence when he's on the ice, and so it's really good to have him back."

The 2014 Vezina Trophy finalist made 25 saves in the win to improve to 12-3-1 with a 2.07 goals-against average at home.

"If you can hold a team to one or two goals, you're giving yourself a really good chance at winning the game," Cooper said. "Bish was there when we needed him."

Steven Stamkos has been curiously quiet for the Lightning, who rank second in the league with 3.19 goals per game. He has failed to record a point in three straight games and would match his longest drought - not interrupted by injury - since March 15-22, 2012, with another pointless performance Monday.

Stamkos, though, is usually very productive when facing the Maple Leafs, tallying 14 goals and 27 points in 22 career meetings. He has five goals and two assists in the past four matchups.

Maple Leafs Projected Lines

Forwards

Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
van Riemsdyk - Kadri - Santorelli
Winnik - Holland - Clarkson
Booth - Smith - Ashton

Defence

Phaneuf - Franson
Gardiner - Polak
Rielly - Robidas

Goalies

Reimer

Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes (7:00pm et/4:00pm pt) - TSN Radio 690 Montreal starting at 5:30pm et/2:30pm pt

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Carolina Hurricanes expect to have forward Jordan Staal in the lineup for the first time this season on Monday evening as they take on the Montreal Canadiens.

Staal has missed the Hurricanes' first 35 games after suffering a broken right fibula in the club's second preseason game. He finally returned to the ice in early December and Carolina coach Bill Peters said on Sunday that he would be "shocked" if Staal did not play tonight.

The 26-year-old Staal is set to finally kick off his third campaign with the Hurricanes since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins and he posted 15 goals with 25 assists in 82 games last season.

"The first bit is always tough, watching your team when you're out, especially right at the beginning of the season when you don't get in a game," Staal said on Carolina's website. "The initial shock sucks, but then it's just putting your mind to getting back and focusing on that."

Carolina's offense could certainly use the former first-round pick as the club ranks 29th out of 30 teams with just 2.00 goals per game. The Hurricanes have scored more than two goals only once in their last 13 games, so it comes as no surprise that they have lost nine of 11.

The 'Canes were held under that mark again on Saturday, losing 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrej Sekera had the goal and Cam Ward took another tough-luck loss despite 36 saves.

"You have to score to win and we just having a hard time generating enough offense to win," Carolina forward Eric Staal said. "Against good teams it's that one play or one goal that you need. For us, it's tough finding that."

Ward has a solid 2.42 goals against average and .913 save percentage in 24 games this season, but is just 9-13-2. He is 15-9-3 in his career versus Montreal with a 2.80 GAA and .910 save percentage.

The Canadiens play the second of five straight on the road tonight and are in action for the first time since a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders last Tuesday.

Carey Price ended with 37 saves, while Andrei Markov and Brendan Gallagher had second-period goals to erase a slow start for the club. David Desharnais added a third-period marker to seal the outcome.

"We didn't change anything system-wise," said Gallagher. "I think we just started competing better."

Markov, playing in his 800th career game, extended his point streak to five straight games while helping lead the Habs to their fifth victory in six games. The defenseman has a pair of goals and four assists over his run.

Montreal will visit the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and Price is expected to start tonight. He is 11-5-2 with a 2.27 GAA and .930 save percentage in his career versus Carolina.

The Canadiens have won three straight over the Hurricanes and are 6-0-1 in the previous seven meetings.

Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators (7:30pm et/4:30pm pt) -  TSN Radio 1200 Ottawa at 5:30pm et/2:30pm pt

Dave Cameron felt his team's "cuteness" cost the Senators a point and potentially a victory in their last game. Ted Nolan, meanwhile, is looking for the Buffalo Sabres to show the same kind of grit for a second straight game Monday night when the Atlantic Division rivals meet in Ottawa.

While Ottawa (14-14-7) did claim a point from a 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit on Saturday, Cameron lamented his team's third period, when he felt the Senators played more not to lose than continue doing the things they did from the first two periods - amassing a 25-13 edge in shots en route to a 2-1 lead.

"Our pattern has been that we get in trouble when we get cute when we start going east-west as opposed to up and down the rink," the coach told the team's official website. "In the third we let them off the hook because we got cute. For two periods we were really good going north-south, and in the third we got cute."

Mike Hoffman and Clarke MacArthur scored the goals for Ottawa, which has lost three straight (0-2-1) and dropped to 3-3-2 under Cameron. Hoffman has scored seven of his team-high 11 goals at home, including three in the last two games there, while MacArthur's second-period tally ended a nine-game goalless drought overall.

Home is also where the Senators have generated a consistent power play for much of the season, converting at a 23.3 percent clip (14 for 60). That's yet to take root under Cameron, with Ottawa going 2 for 16 in four games with him behind the bench.

Craig Anderson, who stopped 24 shots Saturday, could be in line for a second straight start given his mastery of the Sabres. The netminder has won his last eight starts against them, posting a 1.36 goals-against average with two shutouts.

Anderson did not play in the last meeting between the teams, a 5-4 shootout win for the Sabres on Dec. 15.

Buffalo (14-19-3) can pull within two points of Ottawa with a regulation victory, with its improved play creating some distance from a brutal 3-13-2 start. The Sabres erased a 3-0, third-period deficit for just the second time in franchise history with a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Nicolas Deslauriers, Zemgus Girgensons and Chris Stewart all scored in a 5:12 span of the final period before Tyler Ennis was the lone player for both teams to convert in the shootout.

"That was a heck of a comeback," forward Drew Stafford told the team's official website after contributing two assists. "It just goes to show you the type of character we have in this room ... especially down 3-0, the way they were controlling play - especially in the second period - we might have folded up shop, but not so anymore."

The Sabres snapped a four-game losing streak and now set out to end a longer one on the road. Buffalo has dropped five straight (0-4-1) since a 4-3 shootout win at Montreal on Nov. 29, getting outscored 23-9 in those losses.

A key reason for their road woes has been the lack of quality penalty killing - the Sabres have yielded 20 goals in 59 chances for a league-worst 66.1 percent success rate and the Red Wings burned them for four goals in six chances Tuesday.

Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets (8:00pm et/5:00pm pt) - TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg at 6pm ct/7pm et

Mired in their longest losing streak of the season, the Minnesota Wild are dealing with injuries to key players and an unsettled goaltending situation.

At least the chance for revenge should give them the proper motivation.

The Wild try to end a five-game skid and gain a split of their home-and-home set with the surging Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.

After a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia in its final game before the holiday break, Minnesota (16-13-4) was better in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to visiting Winnipeg.

Andrew Ladd scored the winner when his shot from the slot went high over the crossbar, bounced hard off the glass, ricocheted off the top of the net and then off the back of goaltender John Curry before falling into the goal.

"That was one of the better bounces I've seen someone get," Jets forward Bryan Little said. "I haven't seen anything like that before. That was the way the night was going for us. We were getting some bounces in our favor."

The disheartening loss left Minnesota with a winless four-game homestand and a 0-2-3 mark in its last five games.

"We cannot hang our heads right now," coach Mike Yeo said. "It'd be real easy to feel sorry for ourselves, but winners don't do that and we got to make sure that we handle this adversity the right way."

Curry finished with 19 saves in his first NHL action since April after he was recalled under emergency conditions earlier Saturday. That move was necessary with Niklas Backstrom on injured reserve due to illness and Darcy Kuemper also dealing with an illness.

"I thought we played really well tonight and deserved to win that game," said Curry, who is 3-2-1 in seven NHL appearances over parts of four seasons. "I just wish I would have been able to make one more of those saves."

Yeo's team will be down two regulars in Monday's rematch after center Mikael Granlund and top-pair defenseman Jonas Brodin were injured Saturday. Granlund appeared to injure his wrist when he was upended on a check from Dustin Byfuglien and Brodin departed after being hit hard into the boards by Grant Clitsome.

"I need more of an update, but the word I have right now is not to expect them for next game," Yeo said.

Ladd's goal improved the Jets to 7-1-3 in their last 11 games with their next four at home.

"We've been very consistent with our game. Very consistent with our effort," coach Paul Maurice said.

Michael Hutchinson continued his breakout season with 22 saves Saturday, improving to 9-2-2 this season with a 1.77 goals-against average. He's allowed two goals or fewer in nine of his last 11 starts.

Winnipeg (19-10-7) hasn't lost much when Ondrej Pavelec is in net lately. He's 3-0-3 with a 2.46 GAA in his past six starts and has never lost to the Wild, going 2-0-1 in four appearances.

A potent and balanced offense has been the other key during the Jets' surge. They have averaged 3.36 goals over their last 14 games - the second-most in the league behind Toronto since Nov. 24. Little has seven goals during that span and Mathieu Perreault has six, while Ladd and Byfuglien each have five.

Jets Projected Lines

Forwards

Ladd-Little-Wheeler
Perreault-Scheifele-Frolik
Thorburn-Lowry-Halischuk
Galiardi-Slater-Peluso

Defence

Chiarot-Byfuglien
Harrison-Clitsome
Pardy-Postma

Goalies

Hutchinson
Pavelec

** Kane out until early February with lower body injury

** Hutchinson starting 3rd straight game

Wild Projected Lines

Forwards

Parise-Koivu-Pominville
Niederreiter-Coyle-Vanek
Cooke-Graovac-Fontaine
Carter-Brodziak-Sutter

Defence

Suter-Spurgeon
Scandella-Folin
Prosser-Bickel

Goalies

Kuemper
Curry

** Kuemper returns to action after missing Saturday vs Winnipeg due to the flu

** Graovac's 1st NHL game tonight

** Haula is a healthy scratch

Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames at 9:00pm et/6pm pt

The Calgary Flames needed a win against the Stanley Cup champions this past week to stop a season-worst skid and rejoin the playoff conversation in the Western Conference.

After earning that key victory over Los Angeles, the Flames and Kings get a rematch Monday night in Calgary.

The Flames (19-15-3) opened with 17 victories in 27 games, highlighted by a four-game win streak from Nov. 26-Dec. 4. However, the fast start quickly dissipated as Calgary followed the streak with an eight-game slide in which it was outscored 26-13.

The slump ended Dec. 22 when Johnny Gaudreau scored twice with under three minutes remaining and Mark Giordano netted the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over the Kings. Calgary followed that with a 4-1 win over Edmonton on Saturday.

"It started with a big win in LA and they're going to be ready to play against us and want some revenge," Joe Colborne said to Calgary's official website. "It's going to be a tough game tomorrow and a big physical battle ... The Kings, they have one of the top teams in the league still. It's always a good challenge."

Gaudreau has been a revelation for the Flames this season. The 21-year-old rookie ranks second on the team with 12 goals, six coming in his last three games. Calgary is 8-0-0 when he records two or more points and 8-9-0 when he is held off the scoresheet.

"I'm pretty excited about getting the chance to score some goals," said Gaudreau, who won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player in his final year at Boston College. "They weren't coming throughout the first 20, 30 games of the season. I was kind of off to a slow start, but it's nice to see the puck going in the net."

Los Angeles (18-11-7) rebounded from last week's loss to Calgary with a 3-1 win against San Jose on Saturday behind another strong performance from Anze Kopitar.

Kopitar had a goal and an assist to give him 12 points in his last five games. He had managed only 13 through the season's first 28 contests.

"It's coming along right now," Kopitar said to Los Angeles' official site. "It seems like we are making some good plays, and we are getting some opportunities. It seems like we are building up the chemistry and getting to know each other's small details on the ice, that's why we are creating chances."

Tyler Toffoli also scored Saturday to break a personal 10-game goal drought. He is tied with Marion Gaborik and Tanner Pearson for the team lead with 11 goals.

Jonathan Quick figures to make his seventh consecutive start in net for the Kings on Monday as they kick off a three-game Canadian trip. They'll also visit Edmonton and Vancouver before returning Jan. 3 to open a season-high seven-game homestand.

Quick, who is 9-5-3 with a 1.73 goals against average against Calgary in his career, will be opposed by Jonas Hiller. Hiller owns a .934 save percentage in his last six games.

The Kings are 6-0-1 over their last seven trips to Calgary.

Flames Projected Lines

Forwards

Glencross - Monahan - Jones
Gaudreau - Granlund - Hudler
Raymond - Colborne - Byron
Bollig - Stajan - Bouma

Defence

Giordano - Brodie
Russell - Wideman
Diaz - Engelland

Goalies

Hiller - starting
Ramo