The defending Stanley Cup champions were missing forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov due to injuries and defenseman Aaron Ekblad because of a suspension. They started back-up goaltender Vitek Vanecek because Sergei Bobrovsky, who’s 27-7-2 vs. Detroit, played Saturday in Ottawa.

Cam Talbot and the Detroit Red Wings are hanging on for dear life in the playoff race. Detroit entered March as the top Wild Card team in the East. However, another collapse in March has left the team staring down the barrel of another missed postseason.

Tuesday night in Montreal, the Detroit Red Wings will play the biggest game of their season, taking on the Canadiens in a so-called 'four-point' game with the chance to turn the wild card chase on its head.