On the cusp of tying a franchise record for inept offense isn't likely to be much fun, and the Montreal Canadiens certainly feel that way.
A meeting with the Atlanta Thrashers could solve that problem.
The Canadiens look to avoid an 83-year-old record by scoring a goal for the first time in four games when they face the Thrashers at Bell Centre on Tuesday night.
Montreal (40-29-7) has been outscored 11-0 during a three-game slide after winning 8-1 in Minnesota on March 20 to cap an 8-3-0 stretch that included a 3-1 victory at Atlanta (32-31-12) on March 1.
Getting blanked for a fourth consecutive game would equal the Canadiens' team record set Feb. 14-26, 1928.
"It's just a matter of us not doing the things we have to do," said captain Brian Gionta, the team leader with 26 goals. "It's easy to point to offense for not scoring but it's a reflection of our overall game right now."
The Canadiens got closer to matching their dubious mark Saturday, losing 2-0 to Washington while being outshot 33-18.
"Nobody's really having much fun right now," said Carey Price, who made 31 saves against the Capitals. "I think we just used (the goals) all up in Minnesota, but we've just got to get back to basics and we can't dwell on this. We've just got to pick our heads up and know we can do it."
Montreal's punchless stretch has put it in the thick of the battle for seeding, although the team appears to have enough margin for error to reach the playoffs.
The Canadiens are tied with the New York Rangers for sixth in the Eastern Conference, seven points ahead of ninth-place Carolina but just two in front of Buffalo in eighth. The Hurricanes have a game in hand on all of them.
"Those teams are coming up and we can't get scared and start gripping our sticks even more because that's not going to help," Price said.
Price has made a strong case for his first Vezina Trophy, ranking among the league leaders with 34 wins and eight shutouts while compiling a career-best 2.40 goals-against average. However, he's struggled mightily in losing his last four starts, posting a 4.34 GAA.
Price made 40 stops versus the Thrashers on March 1, ending a personal three-game slide (0-1-2) against them that included a 4.23 GAA.
Gionta has eight goals over his last 10 matchups with Atlanta, while Tomas Plekanec - the team leader with 53 points - has three and four assists over the past six.
The Thrashers begin this five-game road trip trying to remain mathematically alive in the playoff race, but that could change at the conclusion of this game. They're 11th in the conference and nine points back of the Sabres, who visit Toronto.
Atlanta helped its bleak cause with a 5-4 shootout win over Ottawa on Sunday, but realize the gap in the standings is likely insurmountable.
"We're trying to build something, not just for this year, but for the long term," said captain Andrew Ladd, who scored the only goal in the tiebreaker Sunday. "We'll just keep playing hard and see what happens."
Bryan Little has three goals in the last five games, one in each of the last two. He has one goal in seven visits to Montreal.
