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GameDay Caterwaul: Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers

Canadiens (45-24-9 99P) vs Panthers (33-34-11 77P)

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  • WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET – LBC GameThread right here at 7ish
  • WHERE: BB&T Center – Sunrise, FL
  • ON THE TUBE: FOX Sports Florida, RDS, Sportsnet East
  • ON THE DIAL: 560 WQAM, 640 WMEN
  • SOCIALS: #FlaPanthers, #Habs, #MTLvsFLA, @LitterBoxCats, LBC FaceBook
  • GOODIES: Autism Awareness Night this evening! (Details)
  • ENEMY INTEL: Eyes on the Prize
  • SB NATION: Game Feature Hub
  • BACK-TO-BACK? (FLA/BOS): None/None
  • FLA IN SEASON SERIES: Game 4 of 4 (1-1-1)
  • ALL-TIME vs MTL (RS): 42W-31L-6T 8OTL 3SOL 224GF 234GA
  • ALL-TIME at FLA (RS): 21W-17L-3T 4OTL 1SOL 122GF 122GA
  • LAST FIVE vs MTL (RS): 3-1-1 16GF 16GA
  • LAST MEETING: FLA 2 at MTL 6 – (Todd’s Recap) – 03/30/2017
  • NEXT MEETING (RS): 2017-18 Season
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Berra (0-4-0 3.54/.870 0SO) vs Lindgren (0-0-0 0.00/.000 0SO)
  • TALE OF THE TAPE via Left Wing Lock
  • PLAYER STATS: Florida /Montreal/

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Scouting Report:  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …

Charles Dickens was writing about the French Revolution and not about the NHL playoffs when he wrote his famed historical novel in 1859.

But, to borrow again from Dickens, it certainly has been “A Tale of Two Cities” when you start to ponder the hockey fate of the Montreal Canadiens and the Florida Panthers, who will meet on Monday night at the BB&T Center.

The game has ramifications for Montreal, which can clinch the Atlantic Division title and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams fired their head coaches this season, but the moves produced very different results.

The Canadiens gave Michel Therrien the boot on Feb. 14. His replacement, Claude Julien, has produced a 14-5-1 record since taking over the team, leading Montreal (45-24-9) to the brink of the division title that was won by Florida last season.

The Canadiens also enter Monday’s game on a four-game winning streak.

Gerard Gallant, who led the Panthers to the Atlantic Division title last season, was fired incredibly quickly, getting the heave-ho on Nov. 27 after posting an 11-10-1 record.

General manager Tom Rowe, who fired Gallant, was installed as the interim coach, and that failed to change the team’s fortunes. The Panthers are 22-24-10 under Rowe and are out of playoff contention.

Florida enters the Monday game having lost 11 of its past 15. The Panthers were officially eliminated last Thursday after a 6-2 road loss to, coincidentally, the Canadiens. (More via AP)

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Last action from the Cats: 5-2 loss at Boston Saturday. Past five: 1-4-0 (streak: 4L)

Last action from the Habs: 2-1 (OT) victory in Tampa Bay Saturday. Past five: 4-1-0 (streak: 4W)

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Panthers, SoFla Media & Loyal Opposition on the Tweets

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