Two lineup tweaks ahead of Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers matchup

This one matters in the Atlantic, with Montreal sitting at 20-12-6 and Florida at 21-15-2 going into Tuesday night. It feels like a standings game, even before the puck drops.

Florida played Monday and leaned on Sergei Bobrovsky in a 5-3 win over Washington, so the rest angle makes sense. Tarasov will start in net tonight, which is the clearest hint that Bobrovsky gets a deserved breather.

Tarasov has been steady in his role, posting a 2.97 goals-against average with a .900 save percentage in 12 appearances. He's also doing it on a one-year deal with a $1.05 million cap hit, which is tidy value for a contender.

On the other side, Montembeault gets the crease instead of Jacob Fowler, the Florida-born rookie from Melbourne who has already had his first NHL moments. Montembeault has a 3.65 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage in 15 appearances, and he carries a $3.15 million cap hit.

There's also a little extra spice here because Montembeault once belonged to the Panthers' pipeline. He's 4-4-1 with a .892 save percentage in 10 career games against Florida, so he has seen this movie before.

If Montreal is going to steal this, the path is speed through the neutral zone and second chances around the blue paint. Florida will try to kill that with heavy forecheck pressure and clean exits from their top pair.

Special teams could swing it fast, because Montreal's power play is running at 25% and it can turn one mistake into two goals. Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 42 points, while Brad Marchand has 44 points for Florida.

The early minutes should tell you a lot, especially on rebounds and net-front battles. Win those, and the night turns into a real test of nerve for whichever goalie settles in last.