The Montreal Canadiens will host the Calgary Flames tonight, and look to rebound after their loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Also, your daily Habs news, updates, and links from around the web.
The Montreal Canadiens will look to bounce back tonight, after they blew a third period lead on Saturday night. The Habs last loss was even more costly, as Center Alex Galchenyuk has re-injured his knee. Head Coach Michel Therrien told the Media that the injury wasn’t significant, but it’s definitely concerning for fans.
Galchenyuk recently missed 18 games with a similar knee injury, after he was practically scoring at a point per game pace. The Habs demoted Galchenyuk to the third line last week, to ease him back into game shape. As a result, he looked more efficient with less ice time, and looked like he was back on his way to be playing on the top line.
Alex has been the Canadiens most consistent play maker this season, and he will especially be missed on the Habs Power Play. Galchenyuk currently has 11 Power Play points in 30 games this season. Alex is third on the Canadiens in Power Play points despite missing a huge chunk of the season.
Other injured Habs are slowly making their way back, but are still a ways from coming back. Forwards David Desharnais, and Brendan Gallagher are skating with the team again, and so are Defensemen Andrei Markov and Greg Pateryn. However, none of the four players are expected to return to action tonight.
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Habs Keys to the Game
The Calgary Flames enter tonight’s game playing for the second night in a row. The Flames lost last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-0. The Flames will likely be looking for a better effort tonight, and as a result they will probably want to set the tone early.
The Key for the Canadiens will be playing with a fast pace, with the goal of creating Power Play opportunities. The Habs will get their fare share of Power Play chances tonight if they work hard down low early on. This is because the Flames are brutal when it comes to staying out of the box.
The Flames currently lead the NHL in penalties, and have taken with a
. The Flames Penalty Kill isn’t that great either, and the Canadiens will need to take advantage of their chances with the man advantage.
Habs Morning Links
The Habs may be in need of another Center to replace Galchenyuk, if he is injured long term. The Tampa Bay Lightning could be a team the Canadiens could target for a possible trade. (Kenny MacMillian- A Winning Habit)
TSN Insider talks about the Canadiens brutal schedule, and the likelyhood of the Canadiens making a trade before the deadline. (TSN 690)
Next: Montreal Canadiens Trade Options: 8 Possible Rental Players
The Montreal Canadiens have had an awful amount of injuries over the past few weeks. What could help their situation, is their desperate need of a bye week. (Eric Engles- Sportsnet)