(SportsNetwork.com) - The surging Montreal Canadiens will try to match their longest winning streak of the season when they visit the Florida Panthers for Saturdays clash at BB&T Center. Listen to the action live on TSN Radio 690. The Canadiens have boosted their standing in the Eastern Conference playoff picture lately, winning four straight and seven of their last eight games. Another victory on Saturday would match Montreals five-game tear from Nov, 30-Dec. 7 for its longest winning streak of the season. Montreal leads Tampa Bay by two points for second place in the Atlantic Division with the top three teams from each division earning automatic bids to the playoffs. The Lightning, who visit Buffalo on Saturday, do hold a game in hand over the Habs. Tomas Plekanec did not make the trip to Florida. With Boston close to clinching the division title and Tampa Bay nine points ahead of fourth-place Toronto, it seems likely the Canadiens and Lightning will face each other in the opening round of the playoffs. The teams finishing second and third in each division will face each other in the first round. The Habs last played on Thursday when they pulled out a 5-4 regulation win in Detroit. Max Pacioretty and Thomas Vanek each scored during a wild third period to help Montreal down the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The Canadiens held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes only to see Detroit even the score on two goals from Tomas Tatar in the first 4:30 of the third period. However, Pacioretty gave the lead back to Montreal at 5:48 of the third and Vanek made it 5-3 with 8:45 remaining in the period. Detroits Johan Franzen tallied 21 seconds after Vanek, but the Red Wings were unable to get even after that. Vanek added a pair of assists and Tomas Plekanec potted a pair of early goals for the Canadiens. David Desharnais had a goal and an assist, while Carey Price survived the three-goal outburst by the Red Wings in the final frame during a 26-save effort. "The second and third periods werent good at all. We got lucky that we found a way to win," Plekanec said. Thursdays test marked the start of a four-game road trip for Montreal, which improved to 21-14-2 as the away team this season. Florida is ranked 15th out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and is about to miss the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 seasons. The Panthers have lost four of their last five games and were held to one goal or less for the third time during that stretch after Thursdays 3-0 home loss against Carolina. Jiri Tlusty tallied twice and Anton Khudobin posted a 35- save shutout to help the Hurricanes down Florida at BB&T Center. Roberto Luongo started in net for Florida and stopped 11-of-12 shots in the first period, but the veteran netminder was forced to leave the contest prior to the start of the second after being run over by Carolinas Radek Dvorak with just over seven minutes left in the opening frame. Dan Ellis recorded 18 saves in relief for the Panthers, who have lost four of their last five games. Luongo will miss Saturdays game with an upper-body injury, leaving Ellis to make his third start of the season tonight since being acquired from the Dallas Stars. "Its never a fun situation because you know your partner, something might not be good with him," Ellis said of coming on in relief of an injured Luongo. "But thats the job and you have to be ready when they call you." Florida is 14-16-5 as the home club this season and is completing a three-game stay in Sunrise. The Panthers will then play their next two tests on the road before finishing the regular season on a five-game homestand. The Panthers are 2-1-0 against Montreal this season, but the Habs won the last encounter when it posted a 2-1 home victory on Jan. 6. The Canadiens have won four of six overall in the series, but Florida is 3-1-1 in the last five encounters at BB&T Center. Custom Baseball Jerseys China . In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time. Cheap Custom Jerseys Online . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St. http://www.baseballjerseyscustom.com/ . Re-signed by the club to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract on July 5, Bass appeared in three preseason games with Columbus prior to breaking a bone in his hand on Sept. Clearance Custom Baseball Jerseys .com) - Semyon Varlamov more than earned his third shutout of the season as he made a career-high 54 saves to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Custom Jerseys Sale . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon.EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 4 Ohio State took Northwesterns best shot on a wet and raucous night at Ryan Field, and the Buckeyes perfect record is still standing. They can thank Carlos Hyde for that. Hyde ran for a career-high 168 yards and three touchdowns, and Ohio State rallied to beat No. 16 Northwestern 40-30 Saturday and extend the nations longest win streak to 18 games. The Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) remained undefeated since Urban Meyer took over as coach last year. On a rain-soaked field and with a prime-time audience watching, they rallied from 10 down in the third quarter to take out a team aiming to show it could beat the best in the conference. Hyde, who was suspended for the first three games after an alleged conflict with a female in a bar this summer, prevented that. He scored on a 4-yard run late in the third and added two more touchdowns in the final quarter to lift the Buckeyes. "I go out every game with the mindset that I have to make up for those three games," Hyde said. And when he was asked what he would think about when he goes to bed, he cleared his throat a few times and placed his fingers on his eyes as he teared up. "First Ill give thanks to God. That suspension. That ... that suspension really hurt. Being out there with my brothers is the greatest thing," Hyde said, his voice cracking. He was credited with a 2-yard touchdown after a replay review early in the fourth to put Ohio State ahead 26-23. Then, after Northwesterns Trevor Siemian connected with Cameron Dickerson on a 12-yard score, Hyde ran it in from the 7 with 5:22 left in the game. That made it 34-30. "We all make mistakes," Meyer said. "I think this is a game changer for him." The Wildcats Kain Colter got stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Ohio State 34 with 2:43 left after he picked up his own fumble, wiping out a late threat. The game ended with Northwestern (4-1, 0-1) lateralling and the Buckeyes recovering the loose ball in the end zone. Hyde came up big Jordan Hall nursing a knee injury, and Ohio State pulled this one out even though Braxton Miller had a rough night. He threw for 203 yards but had an interception and fumbled twice after matching a career-high with four touchddown passes against Wisconsin last week.dddddddddddd He also ran for 68 yards. Corey Brown added 127 yards receiving, and the defence delivered five sacks, sending the Buckeyes to their 29th win in their past 30 games with the Wildcats. Northwestern hasnt beaten a Top-five team since it opened the 1959 season with wins over No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 5 Iowa. "Theres a team getting on the bus going back to Columbus that just got into a fight with (our) football team," coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "Thats what Ill take from this game." And theres a team staying in Evanston that has the Buckeyes respect. "Very, very good players. Borderline great players," Meyer said. "And a scheme thats hard to defend." Siemian threw 245 yards and two touchdowns against a defence missing one of its leaders in safety Christian Bryant. He broke his left ankle late in last weeks game and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. Kain Colter completed all 12 passes for 98 yards and had a touchdown catch early in the game. Rashad Lawrence had 149 yards receiving. Venric Mark ran for 60 yards after missing three games with a lower body injury, but instead of a signature victory, Northwestern came away with a tight loss. "If we play a complete game, I dont care who were going up against, were going to go out there and get that win," linebacker Damien Proby said. "We didnt get to that point, playing all three phases." Northwestern was leading 23-20 early in the fourth when Doran Grant stepped in front of Rashad Lawrence to pick off a pass by Siemian at the 23. He returned it 7 yards to the Northwestern 16, and on third-and-goal at the 2, Hyde reached across the goal line and was credited with the touchdown after a replay review. That delighted the Buckeyes fans, but the Northwestern crowd had plenty to cheer moments later. Siemian connected with Lawrence on a 67-yard slant to the 7. Then, with the ball at the 12, a scrambling Siemian found Dickerson in the end zone on third down. Just like that, the Wildcats were back on top, 30-27, but in the end, it was Ohio States night. "Everybody got their mind right in the second half," Hyde said. Cheap Buffalo Sabres GearWholesale Calgary Flames JerseysCheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche JerseysMontreal Canadiens Outlet StoreWholesale New Jersey Devils JerseysAdidas Arizona Coyotes JerseysCheap Adidas Boston Bruins JerseysCheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes JerseysChicago Blackhawks Shop Free ShippingWholesale Columbus Blue Jackets JerseysDallas Stars Shop Free ShippingCheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings JerseysAnaheim Ducks Jerseys ChinaWholesale Edmonton Oilers JerseysFlorida Panthers Shop Free ShippingWholesale Los Angeles Kings JerseysMinnesota Wild Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Nashville Predators JerseysCheap Adidas New York Islanders JerseysNew York Rangers Winter Classic JerseysCheap Adidas Ottawa Senators JerseysCheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers JerseysWholesale Pittsburgh Penguins JerseysCheap Adidas San Jose Sharks JerseysSt. Louis Blues Winter Classic JerseysWholesale Tampa Bay Lightning JerseysToronto Maple Leafs Outlet StoreVancouver Canucks Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights JerseysCheap Adidas Washington Capitals JerseysCheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' ' Minnesota Wild put a lot of work into summer projects the past two years. This time, theyre on track for a little less activity. Some key restricted free agents need new contracts to be retained. Another scorer would be a big help for the forward lines. The goalie situation, of course, remains in flux. Following the franchises deepest advancement in the playoffs in more than a decade, though, there are fewer holes. In 2012, the Wild were the stars of the NHL off-season by signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. In 2013, they had to shed several high-salaried veterans to create more space under the cap and on the roster for ready-to-contribute prospects. This time? "I just feel that this year theres not the sense of urgency that we have had in past seasons, that we have to add certain pieces in order to be more competitive," general manager Chuck Fletcher said Monday. He added: "This year I think we can be a little bit more patient." With the draft set for Friday and Saturday in Philadelphia and unrestricted free agency starting three days later, the NHL marketplace is set up for the flurry. "I think youll see a lot of movement this year. Its not a particularly strong free-agent class. I think teams will look to potentially fill their needs via the trade route," Fletcher said. Whether that includes the Wild, well, thats difficult to predict at this point. Fletcher said hes been fielding more calls than hes been making. "We either have players right in their prime that are key contributors on our team, or young players that are just starting their career that were really not that excited about moving. We dont have a lot of players in that 25 to 29-year-old age class that seem to be the prime trade candidates in a lot of cases," Fletcher said. That doesnt mean goalie Niklas Backstrom or centre Kyle Brodziak, for example, wouldnt be dealt if the Wild were to find a partner.dddddddddddd Backstrom is on track to be ready for training camp Sept. 18 after his latest midsection surgery. He has two more years left on his contract, and Brodziak has one. Dumping some salary would give the Wild more flexibility to pursue a high-priced unrestricted free agent, with Thomas Vanek the primary focus of outside speculation. The former University of Minnesota standout played for three teams in 2013-14, lastly with Montreal. Darcy Kuemper played his way into the starting goalie spot and is one of four restricted free agents the Wild will probably re-sign. Forwards Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine and Jason Zucker are the others. Most of the unrestricted free agents will probably be let go, including goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, forwards Dany Heatley and Matt Moulson. Forward Cody McCormick and defencemen Clayton Stoner and Nate Prosser are also in this category, without any guarantee the Wild would be their highest or favourite bidder. Fletcher declined to speak about any interest or not in any of them specifically. "I think some of those guys will move on at this point. Theyre aware of where were at," Fletcher said. Fletcher traded Cal Clutterbuck for Niederreiter the day of the draft last year. He dealt Brent Burns for Devin Setoguchi and Charlie Coyle on draft day 2011. He acquired Brodziak in that scenario in 2009. This time, the Wild dont have a second-round pick, due to the trade for Moulson, so theyd be less interested in parting with their first-round pick, 18th overall. "Historically we havent been a team thats ever been confused with the Edmonton Oilers circa 83-85," Fletcher said. "If we could add a little bit more offence without sacrificing our defensive structure wed like to do that." 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