Winter Classic preview: Bruins (20-12-4) vs. Canadiens (21-15-3)

Just the facts:

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

When: 1 PM ET

How to watch: NBC, TVA, Sportsnet

How to listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Eyes on the Prize

Game notes:

• With Brad Marchand and David Krejci out for the Bruins, they're going to have to get some contributions from Seth Griffith and Alexander Khokhlachev. Khokhlachev has been struggling to break through at the NHL level for a while now. There'd be no better time for him to make an impact than in the biggest game of the year.
• The Canadiens should get a huge boost from the return of Brendan Gallagher. Though it remains to be seen how effective Gallagher can be after his long layoff, he's the Canadiens' spark plug. Like Brad Marchand, he gets the team fired up by getting his nose dirty. The Habs have missed him, and will be glad to welcome him back.
• There will be 4 Massachusetts natives playing in today's game (barring scratches): Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester), Frank Vatrano (East Longmeadow), Brian Flynn (Lynnfield) and Mike Condon (Needham).
• Both teams are great when getting the first goal: the Bruins are 16-6-0 when scoring first, while Montreal is 16-4-1.
• The Bruins can leapfrog the Canadiens with a win today. In fact, a win by the Bruins would give them 46 points, putting them in a tie with Florida for first in the Atlantic and third in the Eastern Conference.

Never forget:

WINTER CLASSIC!