WINNIPEG JETS VS MONTREAL CANADIENS 06/01/2020 LIVE 7:00 PM ET

Defenseman Marco Scandella is happy to be home again and fulfilling a lifelong dream.

A native of Montreal, Scandella was acquired by Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin on Thursday as the Atlantic Division team sent a fourth-round pick to the rearguard-heavy Buffalo Sabres, who traded that asset to Calgary for forward Michael Frolik.

Bergevin also signed left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, whose situation fizzled in Los Angeles in its first season. The GM inked the 36-year-old Russian to a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000, and Montreal is only required to pay half of that amount and can get out of the contract if the situation becomes untenable.

Montreal is down four injured wingers -- Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron on the left side, Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia on the right.

Kovalchuk said Saturday he expects to be in the Canadiens' lineup when Montreal hosts the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. ET on Monday.

The No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, Kovalchuk had three goals and six assists in 17 games with the Kings before the relationship went south. The organization made him a healthy scratch in his final 18 games before putting him on unconditional waivers Dec. 16 and eventually terminating his contract.

"At this moment, we want to stay in the race," Bergevin said of his club, which is on pace to miss the playoffs for the third straight time and fourth in five seasons. "That's why I made these moves."

Those cheering for the famous red-white-and-blue sweater in Quebec are anxious to see local boy Scandella, 29, suit up in the home reds and shore up the back end.

Scandella nearly scored in his Montreal debut early in the third period Saturday, but his rocket -- which would have given the Canadiens a 3-1 lead -- rang off the post behind Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray. Bryan Rust then scored his 17th on the Penguins' next possession in front of Carey Price, tying the contest at 2.

A defensive-minded defenseman, Scandella has three goals and nine points in 32 games, and he is naturally excited to call Bell Centre his new home.

"It's a dream come true. Growing up watching the Montreal Canadiens, I always wanted to be a part of this franchise," said Scandella during intermission in the 3-2 overtime loss to Pittsburgh that moved Montreal's losing streak to five games (0-4-1).

Winnipeg also lost in overtime Saturday in the opening contest of a four-game road trip, dropping a 3-2 decision in Minnesota to start a stretch of seven of 10 games on the road.

The Jets recorded both of their goals on the man advantage, with Mark Scheifele posting his 20th and Blake Wheeler collecting his 14th. Each also assisted on the other's marker for two-point games.

The club is mired in a 2-5-2 slump and has not been victorious in consecutive games since home wins over Anaheim and Detroit early last month.

"We were hanging on a bit," Jets coach Paul Maurice said of Saturday's loss. "They had a slight advantage. They were sitting on three days' rest, and I think they had better legs than us."

Forward Kyle Connor tallied an assist and has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in his last seven games for the Jets, who are 12-7-2 away from Manitoba.