Game 53 Preview: Crucial test in La Belle Province

The Flyers head to Montreal tonight to take on the Canadiens, for the third and final time this season. Fresh off their Sunday win in Washington, the Flyers will face a Canadiens squad that's all but a lock to make the playoffs for a third straight season.

The Orange and Black will look to avoid a season sweep at the hands of Le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge, as Montreal has previously won 4-3 in a shootout at Wells Fargo Center on Oct. 11 and 6-3 at Bell Centre on Nov. 15. P-A Parenteau scored the shootout winner in the first meeting — a game that should not have been settled in extra time, by any means —  and also scored twice in the second game.

Leading the way for the Habs is their top-line trio of Max Pacioretty and Dale Weise centered by David Desharnais. With 24 goals and 45 points, Pacioretty leads the team in scoring, while one of the NHL's elite defensemen in P.K. Subban doesn't trail too far behind with 11 goals and 36 points.

Subban was also assessed a $2,000 fine last week, as part of the league's crackdown on diving and embellishment.

Undoubtedly, the most daunting challenge for the Flyers is Carey Price, who enters with a 29-11-2 record and a strong case for the Vezina Trophy. His 2.03 goals allowed average is second in the NHL — just a point behind Nashville's Pekka Rinne — while his .932 save percentage is tops in the league. Backing up Price is rookie Dustin Tokarski, whose record sits at 5-4-1 with a 2.56 GAA and .916 SP.

Jakub Voracek continues to lead the way offensively for the Flyers, with 59 points — tied with Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin for the league lead. He's recorded three points against the Canadiens this season,  all of which were assists. Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn have each recorded two-goal games against the Habs this season, while Claude Giroux has two points as well.

With the news of Steve Mason's strange TV-timeout injury, Ray Emery is expected to start between the pipes for the Flyers. Through 21 games, Emery's record stands at 9-9-1 with a 3.34 GAA and .886 SP. He started both games against the Habs this season, making 35 saves on 38 shots in his first effort and 22 saves on 28 shots in his second go-around. Anthony Stolarz will back Emery up, but is not likely to see any game action.

The Flyers (23-22-8) currently sit nine points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild card spot. There's no doubt how critical any points out of the Bell Centre will be, especially with Boston and the Rangers also in action on Tuesday night.

Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61