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Get your game notes: Canadiens at Bruins

Milan Lucic, David Krejci

Montreal Canadiens’ Lars Eller falls in front of Boston Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron during third period NHL hockey action Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in Montreal. The Bruins beat the Canadiens 4-1. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

AP

Tonight on NBCSN, it’s the Boston Bruins hosting the Montreal Canadiens starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Following are some game notes, as compiled by the NHL on NBC research team:

• Tonight marks the 895th all-time meeting between Boston and Montreal, regular season and playoffs (the most meetings between any two teams in NHL history). The Canadiens had won five straight regular-season meetings in the series, until the Bruins defeated the Canadiens on Mar. 12 in Montreal by a 4-1 margin. The B’s got a combined four points from their second line (Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Reilly Smith) and 35 saves by goaltender Tuukka Rask in the win.

• The Bruins enter tonight’s game having won 12 games in a row, all but one of which were settled in regulation. It is their longest win streak since a 13-game run in 1970-71, and two shy of the franchise record set in 1929-30 (14). If they defeat the Canadiens tonight, they can tie the franchise mark on Thursday evening at TD Garden against the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.

• Bruins winger Jarome Iginla has been on fire in March, with an NHL-high 11 goals in the month, including seven goals in his last five games. On Saturday, the 36-year-old scored his 557th and 558th career NHL goals, leaving him only two goals shy of Guy Lafleur (560 goals) for 24th all-time. Lafleur scored all but 42 of his goals with the Canadiens, winning five Stanley Cups from 1971-85.

• Canadiens winger Thomas Vanek has four goals since being acquired from the Islanders at the March 5 trade deadline. On Mar. 18 vs. Colorado, Vanek became the first player to score his first three goals as a Canadien in the same game since Alex Smart did so in his NHL debut on Jan. 14, 1943. Vanek also joined Minnesota’s Matt Moulson in scoring goals for three different teams this season (Vanek: BUF, NYI, MTL – Moulson: NYI, BUF, MIN), a feat no player had accomplished since Pascal Dupuis (MIN, NYR, ATL) and Alexei Zhitnik (NYI, PHI, ATL) in 2006-07.

• Before the Bruins’ current win streak, head coach Claude Julien sat one win shy of Jack Adams (DET, 413 wins, 1927-47) for 29th on the all-time wins list. 12 wins later, Julien has solidified his candidacy for the Jack Adams Award, given to the top coach as selected by the NHL Broadcasters Association. If victorious, Julien (who won the award in 2008-09) would become the first two-time winner since former Canadiens great Jacques Lemaire (1993-94, with New Jersey; 2002-03, with Minnesota.)

• Since Julien took over before the 2007-08 season, the Bruins defense has been the stingiest in the NHL, allowing 1,275 goals in 529 games (2.41 goals/game). During that span, they have allowed two or fewer goals in 296 games (most in the NHL) and five or more in only 48 (fewest in the NHL).

• Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask is 7-0-0, with a 1.55 GAA, .946 save% and a shutout during the 12-game win streak. Together with backup Chad Johnson (5-0-0, 1.20 GAA, .954 save%, shutout), the Bruins netminders have allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of the 12 wins.

• Since Mar. 15, Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is 3-1-0 with a 3.28 GAA and .906 save%, following his 5-0-0, 0.59 GAA, .972 save% performance in Canada’s run to gold at the Sochi Olympics. Price has played in and won more games against the Bruins than any other NHL team, posting a career 17-8-3 record with a 2.50 GAA and .919 save% in 29 games vs. Boston – though he has not won at Boston since Oct. 27, 2011 (0-2, with one no-decision since then).

• In 11 games this month, the Canadiens have been assessed 193 penalty minutes, and their opponents have been assessed 187 penalty minutes, both NHL-highs for March. The Habs have gone 7/44 on the power play (15.9%, T-18th in the NHL for March) and 37/42 on the penalty kill (88.1%, T-6th).