PREVIEW: Focused on gaining ground in Wild-Card chase, Red Wings know what’s at stake going into Montreal on Tuesday

MONTREAL -- The Detroit Red Wings are among the handful of clubs still battling for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot, making this week’s three-game road trip crucial as they try to keep their postseason hopes alive.

And coming off consecutive home-ice wins against two of the Eastern Conference’s top clubs this past weekend, the Red Wings are bringing momentum into arguably their biggest regular-season game to date: an Original Six and Atlantic Division showdown against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Tuesday night.

“It’s a big game,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “Our season’s on the line. We’ve put ourselves in that position, whether good or bad, and we’re going into a hockey game where we’ve got to win, and that’s exciting. Great building to go into and have a game like that.”

Going into Tuesday’s 7 p.m. puck drop, Detroit (36-33-7; 79 points) trailed Montreal (38-30-9; 85 points) by six points for that second Wild-Card spot with a game in hand. Television broadcast coverage will be simulcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and Fox 2 in Detroit, while radio coverage can be heard on 97.1 The Ticket.

Detroit has collected seven of a possible eight points over its last four games, most recently holding off the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers for a 2-1 victory on Sunday. According to Larkin, good goaltending has been a big part of the Red Wings’ recent stretch of success.

“[Cam Talbot] just made some massive saves for us,” Larkin said. “I think the way we played after that Ottawa game [on March 27], when we gave up a lot of outnumbered rushes, we really focused on that, and I think it hasn't taken away from our offense too much. We've checked for our chances, but we haven't been giving up a lot and what we have been [giving up], we've been getting some big saves the last handful of games now.”

Sticking with the veteran netminder, Talbot is set to make his fifth consecutive start for Detroit on Tuesday.

“It's everything this time of year when you get a guy that's playing that way,” Larkin added about Talbot. “He's really been rock solid. He's been a great addition to our locker room. He's a true pro. He works really hard on his game and takes care of himself. He's fit in really well, he's had a lot of success and we've needed him. He's answered the bell this stretch, so we're going to continue to do that.”

Riding a five-game winning streak, the Canadiens are coming off a 2-1 road victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday.

Captain Nick Suzuki leads Montreal in scoring with 84 points (27 goals, 57 assists) this season and has recorded at least a point (five goals, five assists) in five straight contests. Second on the club’s scoring leaderboard is Cole Caufield, who has 66 points (36 goals, 30 assists). Lane Hutson, one of the front-runners for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie, ranks third on the team with 64 points (six goals, 58 assists).

“I think they have a lot of good young players obviously having really good years and playing very well as a team,” Raymond said about the Canadiens. “They're good team. They have a lot of skill. They play with a lot of speed, edge and very efficient. I feel like they've had a good season. We know each other very well, just playing each other as many times as you do.”

In 58 games this season, netminder Sam Montembeault has a 29-23-6 record with a 2.85 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and four shutouts.

Tuesday also marks the fourth and final matchup between the pair of clubs this season. Detroit was swept in a back-to-back home-and-home set from Dec. 20-21 before earning a 4-2 win at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 23.

“If we're doing our job and we're playing the way we can, we have to just focus on the next shift [on Tuesday] and worry about what we can control,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “And that sounds very much like a cliche. It's the truth.”