A visit to Buffalo might provide the Montreal Canadiens with an ideal opportunity to bounce back from a loss in which they were shut out again.

The Canadiens can do so with a seventh consecutive victory over the lowly Sabres on Friday night in the opener of a home-and-home set.

You can listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 Montreal starting at 5:30pm et/2:30pm pt.

The Habs might try out a new look on the power play for the game, using just one defenceman and four forwards. Montreal experimented with the idea Thursday at practice, hoping it would improve their 25th (12.7 per cent) ranked power play. The 1-3-1 format would have one forward placed behind the net and the other three positioned midway between the blue line and the lone player behind the net. The defenceman would man the middle of the blue line. 

Montreal (16-6-1) leads the Eastern Conference by a point over Pittsburgh, the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay, so it's understandable that Michel Therrien's team isn't too concerned about losing for the second time in 10 games, 5-0 to the New York Rangers on Sunday.

"A game like this leaves you scratching your head," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "We will be fine. We're still a very positive group. We have to generate more. We just didn't play our game."

The Canadiens, who outscored St. Louis and Boston 6-1 to win their previous two contests, have been blanked in their last three losses and four times this season.

Dustin Tokarski made 29 saves while stepping in for Carey Price, who faced 65 shots over the previous two games and recorded his second shutout in Saturday's hard-fought 2-0 win over the Bruins.

"I don't think we want to use (being tired) as an excuse," Subban told the NHL's official website.

Montreal has hardly needed to justify its play while outscoring the Sabres 17-5 in the last six meetings. P.A. Parenteau had a goal and also scored in the shootout as the Canadiens recorded their fourth straight victory at Buffalo, 2-1 on Nov. 5.

Parenteau has one point in his last five games, but three goals and eight assists in his last 12 against the Sabres.

Price, who watched Tokarski stop 31 shots Nov. 5, has a 1.00 goals-against average with one shutout during his three-game winning streak against the Sabres (6-14-2).

Buffalo scored 12 goals during a three-game winning streak that ended with Wednesday's 2-1 home loss to Winnipeg. Curtis Stewart scored in the third period, but the Sabres allowed the Jets to score on the power play and short-handed.

"The first period or first period-and-a-half or so, I thought our hands were handling the puck like a grenade," coach Ted Nolan said.

"And then all of a sudden in the third period, we played the way we have to play in order to be successful. I think the biggest message here, we have to play like that for 60 minutes."

Buffalo failed to convert any of its four power-play chances, including a five-minute opportunity in the second period during which the Jets scored the decisive goal. The Sabres are last in the league at 6.3 percent (4 of 64) with the man advantage.

They are 1 for 14 in their last six against Montreal, though that goal was Drew Stafford's tying tally in the third earlier this month. Stafford is second on the team with 12 points, but has none in three games.

Buffalo could be without defenseman Tyler Myers for a second straight game due to a lower-body injury.

"He was feeling good and then all of a sudden the injury just kind of went south on him," Nolan said.