Preview: The Ducks travel to the Northeast tonight in Montreal

The Ducks fly north of the border tonight for the first trip of a four-game eastbound road trip, hosting the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

PUCK DROP: 4 PM PT | TV: BALLY SPORTS SOCIAL | DUCKS STREAM | NHL GAMECENTER

Anaheim opened its first road trip since the All-Star break with a 5-3 loss to Edmonton on Friday night. The Ducks had three goals that night against a high-flying division opponent, but couldn't get through in the third period for the upset victory.

“I think we deserved it,” said Ryan Strome, who scored twice in the loss. “I thought we worked really hard. I thought we did a lot of good things. They are a good hockey team.

“Overall, I think it was a good effort by us. There are a lot of positives to hold on to. We've had a really good run here in the last four or five games. We just have to keep building, but don't be mad at this result.”

The loss snapped Anaheim's four-game hitting streak and dropped the club to 18-31-2 on the season.

“We played well,” head coach Greg Cronin said. “We had energy. We jumped. We created opportunities. We had quality opportunities.”

It was also rookie center Leo Karlsson's first career matchup against Edmonton's explosive offensive duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who Cronin thought would handle his young apprentice very well.

“I think if you asked Leo, he'd probably say he could have made more plays,” Cronin said. “I think he had a lot of puck. We have very high demands on him and I think he will hold himself to a high standard. He just missed a few good opportunities.

“It's a fast game and it's a tough team. I thought he played really well, the first time he played in Edmonton. Some guys struggle with that speed and size. I thought he played with the pace to his game. I thought he would battle hard.”

Karlsson finished with an assist and a +1 rating in 16:53 of ice time, ranking third among NHL rookies in points per game (.63) this season.

Karlsson and the Ducks now travel to Montreal for the opener of a four-game road trip that includes stops in Ottawa, Toronto and Buffalo. The Canadiens have gone 1-2-0 since returning from the All-Star break, including Sunday's 7-2 loss to St. Louis, and now fall to 13th in the Eastern Conference.

“It's never fun running out of a building,” defenseman Jaden Struble told Sean Farrell of NHL.com. “I thought there were a lot of bad shots against us, but that's no excuse. You just have to keep going. Tomorrow is a new day.”

Montreal (21-23-8, 50 points) is in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, 10 points behind the Wild Card position.