What's to know: Penguins vs. Canadiens

The Penguins finally know who and what, but when and where remains a mystery.

The NHL's return-to-play plan means they will face Montreal in a best-of-five play-in round, but it remains to be seen where those games will be played -- a list of 10 prospective "hub" cities, including Pittsburgh, must be whittled to two -- and no potential starting dates have been set by the league.

Here's a look at that matchup, which will be the third-ever between the Penguins and Canadiens. Montreal won both of the previous two.

What: Eastern Conference qualifying round
Who: No. 5 Penguins vs. No. 12 Canadiens
When: Probably late July or early August
Format: Best-of-five, with the winner advancing to Stanley Cup playoffs
Regular-Season Series: Penguins, 2-1. Montreal, 1-1-1.
2019-20 Overall Record: Penguins, 40-23-6. Canadiens, 31-31-9
Leading scorer: Penguins, Evgeni Malkin (25-49--74). Canadiens, Tomas Tatar (22-39--61)
Penalty-minutes leader: Penguins, Malkin (58). Canadiens, Ben Chariot (61).
Power play: Penguins, 19.9 percent. Canadiens, 17.7 percent.
Penalty-kill: Penguins, 82.1 percent. Canadiens, 78.7 percent.
Who'll be missing: LW Dominik Simon (shoulder surgery), Nick Bjugstad (disc surgery) for Penguins. Possibly C Max Domi (Type 1 diabetes) for Canadiens
Key Returnees: Jake Guentzel (shoulder) for Penguins. Tomas Tatar (unspecified), Jonathan Drouin (ankle) for Canadiens