BOSTON BRUINS VS MONTREAL CANADIENS 11/5/2019

After a sluggish conclusion to a successful western swing, the Montreal Canadiens return home for another edition of one of the most intense rivalries in the NHL.

The Boston Bruins, riding a six-game winning streak, visit Montreal on Tuesday.

Montreal won the first two games of its trip at Arizona and Vegas before falling flat in Dallas on Saturday.

The Canadiens dropped a 4-1 decision to the Stars, with the home side scoring twice on the power play and once on a penalty shot while killing all five of Montreal's man-advantage opportunities.

The Canadiens play nine of their remaining 12 November games at home in the Bell Centre, including two games against the Bruins.

Despite his club snaring four points on the three-game trek, Montreal captain Shea Weber expressed his disappointment and felt the team would be better against Boston.

"Our overall game wasn't good enough, and we know that. We've got to be better, and we will be on Tuesday," the defenseman told reporters.

Montreal coach Claude Julien said the effects of the trip may have worn on his players during their Texas visit.

"The real explanation is that I didn't think we had our legs," said Julien, who was the bench boss for Boston from 2007 to 2017 before returning to Montreal for a second stint. "I didn't think we had the energy tonight...we looked like a tired team (Saturday)."

The Canadiens announced on Sunday that they had recalled forward Ryan Poehling from the AHL's Laval Rocket. Poehling, 20, will replace 19-year-old forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was placed on injured reserve due to a groin ailment.

Poehling made a spectacular debut last April 6 in Montreal's season finale against Toronto. The Lakeville, Minn., native tallied a hat trick and scored the deciding goal in the shootout in a 6-5 victory over the Maple Leafs.

He will hope to make another positive impact when he opposes a Boston team that went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last June and is off to a hot start this season.

The Bruins are 11-1-2, with their lone regulation loss coming on Oct. 10, a 4-2 decision against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

The reigning Eastern Conference champs have also won when they haven't played their best game, such as when they scored the final three goals in the third period in a 5-2 win over Ottawa on Saturday.

"I think it just shows our character and our ability to manage ourselves in games when we're not playing our best," said left wing Brad Marchand, who contributed a goal and an assist against the Senators.

Marchand extended his point streak to 13 games in a big way Monday, piling up two goals and three assists as the Bruins topped the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4.

Boston right winger David Pastrnak added his NHL-best 14th goal on Monday, and he also tops the league with 29 points, a point ahead of Marchand. Pastrnak tied his career-high streak by registering a point in his 12th consecutive game.

Bruins No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask, who is 7-0-1 and leads the NHL with a 1.49 goals against average and a .949 save percentage, got the night off and likely will start against Montreal.

Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy slid and hit his head on a goal post in the third period. He was bleeding as he skated off the ice and went to the dressing room, and he did not return.