• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Brian Gionta

Jaroslav Halak gets the start in goal for the Canadiens tonight vs. the New York Rangers. Halak is 1-3-0, 4.11 average lifetime at Madison Square Garden, which is totally meaningless, of course, considering his just-keeps-winning play of late; this is his sixth straight game, having won every game in the Habs' five-game winning streak. For the record, he's 4-3-0 lifetime overall vs. the Rangers with a shutout, 3.28 GAA and .899 save percentage.

It's a game-time decision on centre Tomas Plekanec, who left practice for medical attention Thursday in Montreal for a mysterious injury, thought to be to a hip. Plekanec was first on the ice at Madison Square Garden this morning, 15 minutes ahead of his teammates' scheduled 11 am skate. Head coach Jacques Martin expects Plekanec will play, but if he's unable to go, Ben Maxwell, who arrived from Hamilton last evening on a callup, will see action.

Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak is congratulated by teammates after Saturday's win over the Boston Bruins. Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Tuesday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Basu's Playoff Checkup | Hickey's game story

The Canadiens will look to extend their season-high winning streak to six game Tuesday night as they take on the New York Rangers, a team chasing the Canadiens for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers trail the Canadiens by five points with one game in hand, but sit in ninth place.

The other teams in the playoff mix, notably the Bruins, Senators and Flyers, are also in action on Tuesday night.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Ben Maxwell has been recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs by the Canadiens on the eve of their game in New York and only hours after Tomas Plekanec left practice on Monday with an injury.

Tomas Plekanec left the Canadiens practice this morning with an undisclosed injury but coach Jacques Martin expects the high-scoring centre to play tomorrow night in New York.

Martin said Plekanec was going  to see a doctor after practice but that he didn't think the injury was serious and Plekanec flew to New York with the team. 

Michael Cammalleri and Marc-André Bergeron continued to work out with the team but Martin said he didn't expect either player to see action before next week.

From ESPN.com and Hockey Night In Canada's Pierre LeBrun:

The Habs and Tomas Plekanec's agent, Rick Curran, continue to talk, and all signs point to the Czech centre likely staying put instead of hitting the unrestricted free-agent market July 1.

"We continue to have positive conversations ... not likely to finalize any agreement until after the season has completed," Curran told ESPN.com via e-mail Saturday.

I suspect the Habs need to create some cap space after the season before fitting in any new deal for Plekanec, but it does sound like the Canadiens will likely retain him.

• Habs riding post-Olympic high: Stubbs
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• Decisive week for Habs playoff hopes: Basu
• From press box to starring role for Avery: Rangers website

The Canadiens return to Brossard practice ice this morning at 11:30 a.m., then charter to New York for tomorrow's game against the Rangers.

Montreal is riding a season-high five-game winning streak, the Rangers buoyed by their 3-1 home-ice win Sunday over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Stay tuned here today for Pat Hickey's update.

With only two games on the Canadiens' schedule this week – Tuesday against the Rangers in New York and Saturday in Toronto – this is the time for those teams around Montreal to use some of those games in hand. That leads to intense scoreboard watching and there was some good – and not so good – news for the Canadiens Sunday.

The ninth-place New York Rangers beat sixth-place Philadelphia and that moved the Rangers to within five points of the Canadiens going into Tuesday's game. But the Rangers are down to one game in hand. Philadelphia and Montreal are tied at 76 points and the Flyers have two games in hand.

Two other teams chasing the Canadiens – Tampa Bay and Atlanta – both lost. Tampa remains eight points back with two games in hand. Atlanta picked up a point by losing in a shootout and is nine back with two games in hand.

The Bruins' bench reels back after Canadiens' Travis Moen checked Boston defenceman Johnny Boychuk during the first period Saturday night. Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Saturday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Jaro Halak | Sergei Kostitsyn | Dominic Moore (talking at first about his alma mater, Harvard)

• At a Glance: For the first time this season, the Canadiens have won five straight games after defeating the Boston Bruins 3-2 Saturday night at the Bell Centre. Jaroslav Halak got the win, his 22nd of the season, making 21 saves on the night. The Canadiens got a pair of goals from Sergei Kostitsyn after Andrei Markov opened the scoring 6:02 into the first period with a power-play goal. Blake Wheeler scored early in the second period for the Bruins and Milan Lucic made it 3-2 with about eight minutes to play, making for a nail-biting finish.

• Key Moments: With a few minutes to play, Halak made an excellent save on Marco Sturm, robbing the Bruins forward of what look liked a sure goal and preserving the Montreal win.

• What It Means: Montreal improves to 35-29-6 for 76 points, still tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. The win also opens up a four-point gap between the Canadiens and Bruins, who hold down the eighth spot.

• What's Next: The Canadiens have a relatively light week coming up with a game Tuesday in New York against the Rangers and then to Toronto to take on the the Maple Leafs next Saturday.

The latest news on HIO mobile: Thanks for your valuable feedback on the mobile site. We are working to address your concerns and give you the choice between the full and mobile versions of the site on your mobile device. We hope to have a solution in place shortly. Thanks for your patience.

Hello everyone, in response to some comments and complaints about our new Habsinsideout mobile, I wanted to updated you on plans that should solve some complaints.

First off, the comment function will be coming, but only for next season. So stay tuned for that.

Also, given the popularity of the iPhone and iPhone apps, one is being planned for Habs Inside/Out in the near future.

Just like Habs Inside/Out, the mobile version is a work in progress, so do not hesitate to send us comments and suggestions as we continue to work and make it the best site for Habs information.

Coach Jacques Martin has decided to stay with the hot hand which means Jaroslav Halak will start in goal against the Bruins tonight. 

Halak and the Canadiens are riding a four-game win streak, and he gets the nod over Carey Price, who has a 3-0 record against the Bruins this season. Halak gave up four goals in the 5-4 shootout win iover Edmonton Thursday but was outstanding when it counted – in overtime and in the shootout. 

Martin said he could have gone with either goaltender.

But today's decision is the closest the coach has come to anointing Halak as his No. 1 netminder. 

It’s been in the planning for months, but we are proud to officially launch a mobile version of Habsinsideout.com on Saturday.

It’s the same great website you have all come to love, but now you can take it with you wherever you go. Now you can get Mike Boone’s live game blog whether you are at home, in a bar or at the Bell Centre.

And you don’t have to wait to get home for the latest news from practice or updates on the status of your favourite players. Simply go to the Web browser on your smartphone and go to habsinsideout.com, and you will be automatically redirected to the new mobile version of the site.

Here’s what you’ll find:
· Mobile-optimized version of the main blog
· Schedules and real-time scores
· Player stats and rosters
· Mobile-optimized version of Mike Boone’s blog
· Photo gallery

• BRUINS AUDIO: Coach Claude Julien English and French | Mark Recchi | Patrice Bergeron

At first yesterday, Bruins veteran Mark Recchi said he didn’t want to revisit last Sunday’s near-decapitation of Boston’s Marc Savard by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke, a hit that might have sidelined its victim for the rest of the season.

But then, considering the NHL’s decision not to suspend Cooke for what any reasonable observer would view as a vicious check, Recchi decided he couldn’t not speak up. So he did, calmly but with emotion, voicing an opinion possibly shared if not spoken by many NHL players.

“I think it would be very different if Sidney Crosby got hit like that,” Recchi said of the Penguins superstar. “It’s pretty sad to say, but unfortunately that’s the way it is.”

Some very strong comments from Recchi, head coach Claude Julien and forward Patrice Bergeron, who missed 84 games in 2007-08 when driven head-first into the boards to suffer a Grade 3 concussion.

Maxim Lapierre, who has finished serving a four-game suspension, was back on the fourth line with Glen Metropolit and Mathieu Darche today as the Canadiens held a relatively short 45-minute practice in preparation for tomorrow night's key matchup against the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens made room for Lapierre by returning Ben Maxwell to the Hamilton Bulldogs. 

Defenceman Andrei Markov, who played nearly 28 minutes in last night's 5-4 shootout win over Edmonton, took a day off to rest. Coach Jacques Martin said there wasn't concern about Markov's health. The defenceman has points in each of the Canadiens last five games with a goal and six assists.

No word on a goaltender for tomorrow night but don't be surprised if Carey Price gets the start. He's 3-0 against the Bruins this season and has given up only three goals in those games.

AUDIO: Maxim Lapierre | Glen Metropolit | Benoit Pouliot | Jacques Martin

Forward Ben Maxwell has been returned this morning to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Suspended Maxim Lapierre, who sat out the past four games, is eligible to return tomorrow vs. Boston.

The Canadiens return to practice in Brossard this morning following last night's too-close 5-4 shootout win over the lowly but very game Edmonton Oilers. The Habs are scheduled to hit the ice at 11:30 a.m. in a practice that, as usual, is open to the public.

The Boston Bruins, meanwhile, will hold a practice of their own at 1 p.m. at the downtown Bell Centre; that's not open to the public.

Locked in a playoff-berth battle, the Canadiens play host to the Bruins tomorrow night.

Questions surely to be asked of head coach Jacques Martin today: Who gets the start in goal (he surely won't answer that until tomorrow), and where does centreman Maxim Lapierre, returning tomorrow following a four-game suspension, fit into a lineup that has now won four straight games and seeks a season-high five against the Bruins?

As our spiritual leader Red Fisher might say: Stay tuned.