Posts by Pat Hickey

Jaroslav Halak and the Canadiens will be looking to extend their current winning streak to seven games tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was no surprise when Jacques Martin confirmed that Halak will get the start tonight. In his six previous wins, he has posted a 2.06 goals-against average. A win tonight would give him the longest winning streak for a Montreal goaltender since José Theodore had seven consecutive wins in 2002.

Marc-André Bergeron practised with the Canadiens this morning for the first time since he injured his knee last month. He said he felt good and was energized by being back with his teammates but his return to the lineup is on hold. He said he won't dress for the Saturday game in Toronto. 

Michael Cammalleri skated on his own after the regular practice and said he hopes to practice with the team next week. 

Tomas Plekanec, who was questionable for the Rangers game Tuesday, took a therapy day but will play in Toronto. Defenceman Paul Mara also took the day off. 

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.

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.

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. 

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

• PREGAME AUDIO: Jacques Martin I and II | Benoit Pouliot | Jaroslav Spacek | Hal Gill

Jaroslav Halak will be going for his fourth cosecutive victory tonight when he faces the Edmonton Oilers but Canadiens coach Jacques Martin is reluctant to make any longterm commitment to the goalie, saying: "I'm not looking that far ahead. We're just taking it one game at a time."

The Canadiens will stick with their same lineup tonight which defenceman Paul Mara is a healthy scratch and Maxim Lapierre is serving the final game of a four-game suspension.

Michael Cammalleri and Marc-André Bergeron skated before the practice but neither is close to returning to the lineup.

Carey Price, who has played two excellent games on the Canadiens' current road trip, will be in goal tonight when the four-game trip ends in Anaheim. Price opened the trip with a victory in Boston Tuesday and was outstanding in a 3-2 loss Thursday in San Jose.

As expected, Carey Price will get the start in goal against the San Jose Sharks tonight. Price is coming off a 4-1 win in Boston Tuesday while Jaroslav Halak is trying to figure out what time it is after two cross-continent trips in three days. 

The big news from the Sharks was the breakup of their gold medal line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley. Devon Setoguchi will replace Marleau on that unit tonight.

PRE-GAME AUDIO: Brian Gionta | Josh Gorges | Jaro Halak | Dany Heatley | Patrick Marleau | Joe Thornton | Jay Leach | Todd McLellan I and II

Newest Canadien Aaron Palushaj
Mark Buckner, NHLI via Getty Images

The Canadiens made a deal overnight but it was hardly a blockbuster.

The Habs gave up on Matt D'Agostini, sending the underachieving forward to the St. Louis Blues for minor-leaguer Aaron Palushaj.

D'Agostini had a breakthrough season in 2008-09 with 12 goals but had only two goals and seven assists in 40 games this season. He was a healthy scratch for five of the team's past 13 games and also spent three games in the minors during that stretch.

The 20-year-old Palushaj is a project at best. He was an all-American at Michigan but had ordinary numbers with Peoria of the AHL. The  6-foot, 183 pounder had five goals and 17 assists in 44 games and is headed to Hamilton.

The deal doesn't do much for the Canadiens vis-à-vis the salary cap because D'Agostini is a minimum-wage player with a $500,000 salary. More on Palushaj, read below:

Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak and Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron are both getting the opportunity to relax a bit after playing in the Vancouver Olympics.

Halak, who arrived in Boston last night after flying from Vancouver to Montreal, was allowed to sleep in today and skipped the morning skate. He will be in uniform tonight but only as Carey Price's backup. Bergeron, who was part of Canada's gold-medal effort on Sunday, aggravated a groin injury in the final and is listed as day-to-day.

Defenceman Paul Mara and forward Matt D'Agostini will be healthy scratches tonight. D'Agostini will be replaced on the fourth line by Tom Pyatt.

PRE-GAME AUDIO: David Krejci | Milan Lucic | Steve Bégin | Brian Gionta | Andrei Kostitsyn | Benoit Pouliot | Dominic Moore | Jacques Martin

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin veered from his normal routine and annouced that Carey Price will be the starting goaltender when the Canadiens face the Bruins tomorrow night in Boston. 

Martin said he will give Jaroslav Halak a few days to recover from the Olympics. Halak played in the bronze-medal game Saturday night and will join the team Tuesday in Boston.

Martin said he was confident that Andrei Markov, Andrei Kostitsyn and Benoit Pouliot have recovered from injuries which plagued them before the Olympic break but Michael Cammalleri and Marc-André Bergeron are still on the limp and won't accompany the team on its four-game road tripm which also includes stops in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim.

The Canadiens were almost at full strength as they worked out in Brossard this morning. The only healthy player not on hand was goaltender Jarodlav Halak, who played for Slovakia in the bronze medal game at the Vancouver Olympics last night.

Defenceman Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec practiced for the first time since their teams were eliminated in Vancouver and Tom Pyatt joined the teram after being recalled from Hamilton. Pyatt gives the team an extra forward as they embark on a four-game road trip which starts tuesday in Boston and continues with stops in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. 

The line today:

A. Kostitsyn-Plekanec-S. Kostitsyn; Pouliot-Gomez-Gionta; Moen-Moore-Lapierre; Darche-Metropolit-D'Agostini.

On defence:

Markov-O'Byrne; Hamrlik-Spacek; Gill-Gorges. Extra D: Mara.

Andrei Kostitsyn hasn't played since he suffered a knee injury on New Year's Eve but he could be in the lineup for Belarus at the Vancouver Olympics.

The Canadiens have given Kostitsyn the okay to continue his current rehab program under the watchful eye of the Belarusian medical staff and there's a possibility he could see action if Belarus gets past the preliminary round. 

"He understands that he has follow the protocol established by (team physician David Mulder) but, if it goes according to schedule, he could be playing by Feb. 23 or 24," said general manager Pierre Gauthier.

Meanwhile, Josh Gorges said he would be in the lineup tonight against the Flyers. Still no word on whether Andrei Markov is ready. If he isn't, P.K. Subban will make his NHL debut.

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Andrei Markov | Tom Pyatt | Brian Gionta | Josh Gorges | Tomas Plekanec

Coach Jacques Martin confirmed today that Marc-André Bergeron and Benoit Pouliot won't be back in the lineup until next month, after the Olympic break.

Bergeron has a knee injury and will be out at least six weeks. The Canadiens are sticking with upper-body injury for Pouliot but say he won't play this week.

Tom Pyatt, who was recalled on Monday, will line up with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta on one of the top lines.   

Marc-André Bergeron wasn't at practice today and the word is that he will out of action for 6-8 weeks. Bergeron left the Feb. 4 game against Boston after he was hit in the leg with a shot. He missed the weekend games against Pittsburgh and Boston and was limping noticeably in the press box Saturday. 

Carey Price may be 2-0 against the Bruins but Jaroslav Halak will make his third consecutive start in goal tonight as coach Jacques Martin elects to stay with the hot hand.

Defenceman Jaroslav Spacek returns to the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He'll be paired with Roman Hamrlik and Yannick Weber will be a healthy scratch. Brian Gionta,. Scott Gomez, Benoit Pouliot and Sergei Kostitsyn all skipped the morning skate. 

The lines:

Pouliot-Plekanec-S. Kostitsyn
Maxwell-Gomez-Gionta
Bergeron-Lapierre-Darche
Moen-Metropolit-D'Agostini

Defence: Markov-O'Byrne; Hamrlik-Spacek; Gill-Gorges

The final decision won't be made until tomorrow but look for defenceman Jaroslav Spacek  to play against the Bruins. Spacek practised with the team yesterday and said he felt much better than he dd on Tuesday. He has missed three games with an upper-body injury.

The Canadiens had a brisk 45-minute workout berfore flying to Boston. Roman Hamrlik, Benoit Pouliot and Scott Gomez all took therapy days. Paul Mara (upper body injury) practised and accompanied the team to Boston but won't play.

Jaroslav Halak figures to be the goaltender but the always coy Jacques Martin noted that Carey Price is 2-0 against the Bruins this season.

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Michael Cammalleri | Glen Metropolit | Josh Gorges | Tomas Plekanec

Hamilton defenceman Yannick Weber has been recalled by the Canadiens for Saturday's game in Ottawa. Defenceman Jaroslav Spacek missed practice today and will not travel to Ottawa, but not because of the flu-like symptoms which kept him out of Wednesday's game in Tampa.

The Habs announced today that, while it was the flu which kept him out of the Tampa game, Spacek is now on the sidelines with an upper-body injury. Also missing from practice today was defenceman Paul Mara, who has missed three games with an upper-body injujry. 

Mara will not accompany the team to Ottawa this evening.

The Canadiens came south with only 20 healthy bodies and they found themselves short one player when Jaroslav Spacek called in sick with flu-like symptoms. Marc-André Bergeron moved back to defence and the Canadiens played with 11 forwards.

Carey Price will be in goal tonight in Tampa Bay  as coach Jacques Martin hopes Price can duplicate his win over the Lightning in Florida last month. The choice is no reflection on Jaroslav Halak, who has been outstanding in his last three starts. He was the only reason the Canadiens were in last night's 2-1 loss to Florida.

The Canadiens are 5-4-1 in the second game of back-to-back series this season.

Antero Nittymaki will make his seventh consecutive start for the Lightning but Mike Smith, who has been injured, will be available as the backup.

The Canadiens held a mid-morning practice at the Bank Atlantic Center and Ben Maxwell was on the third line with Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Darche. 

Brian Gionta found himself back with Scott Gomez and Benoit Pouliot while Travis Moen was on the right wing with Michael Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec.

The fourth line had Marc-Andre Bergeron with Glen Metropolit and Sergei Kostitsyn.

AUDIO: Ben Maxwell I and II | Tomas Plekanec | Jaro Halak | Jacques Martin

•  •  •

Provocative column:

Elliotte Friedman on the Canadiens' goaltending situation.

Carey Price will be in goal tonight against the St. Louis Blues and it appears that Jacques Martin will dress eight defencermen with the return of Ryan O'Byrne. 

Georges Laraque and Matt D'Agostini are targeted as healthy scratches and Mathieu Darche, who was called up from Hamilton on Tuesday will play with Michael Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec.

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Jaroslav Halak | Benoit Pouliot | Josh Gorges | Brian Gionta | Glen Metropolit | Ryan O'Byrne

The Canadiens this afternoon recalled forward Mathieu Darche from the Hamilton Bulldogs. Tomorrow's morning skate in advance of the Bell Centre game vs. St. Louis should provide a hint as to how the Habs plan to use him.

The team returned to the ice in Brossard today and had an intense 75-minute practice in preparation for the Blues.

The lines remained unchanged but there will be some changes from the lineup which failed to get the job done on the weekend against Ottawa and the New York Rangers. Coach Jacques Martin said Ryan O'Byrne is ready to play and he'll probably replace Paul Mara. And look for Carey Price to be the starting goalie.

Carey Price will be back in the Canadiens nets for tonight's game against the Dallas Stars. It will be his first start since Jan. 5, a 39-save effort in the Habs' 4-2 loss to the Capitals in Washington.

In other news from the morning skate in Brossard, Sergei Kostitsyn went out with athletic therapist Graham Rynbend before the rest of the team and it appears he is making progress as he recovers from a sprained left ankle. Kostitsyn showed  decent speed and didn't appear to have trouble with turns.

It was a quiet day at the Canadiens' practice facility in Brossard yesterday. The only news was that Sergei Kostitsyn, who has been out since New Year's eve with a sprained ankle, skated before the full practice. But Sergei was dressed in sweats and didn't work up a sweat as he skated gingerly.

A good portion of the practice wwas devoted to special teams play in preparation for tomorrow night's game against the Dallas Stars. The lineup is the same as it was for the last game with the exception of Georges Laraque on the fourth line in place of Ryan White. Ryan O'Byrne is the extra defenceman.

The Canadiens had an off-ice workout today. Goaltender Carey Price worked out with goaltending coach Pierre Groulx and then returned to the ice in his alter ego as a forward. He and Matt D'Agostini played shinny with a small group of youngsters. 

• AUDIO:  Jaroslav Spacek | Tomas Plekanec | Jacques Martin

Carey Price, who is coming off a strong albeit losing performance Sunday against Buffalo, will start against the Washington Capitals tonight. Michael Neuvirth is expected to get the nod in the Capitals net over former Canadien José Theodore.

The Canadiens had an optional morning skate and 15 players took advantage of the ice time. Defenceman Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik took as pass, as did Michael Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez.

In other news, USA Today named Tomas Plekanec as the clutch player of the month. The award is based on a calculation which measures not only points but also their impact on a game.

Sergei Kostitsyn was a last minute scratch after the pregame warmup today. He is out with a lower-body injury.

Max Pacioretty, who was chowing down in the media dining room 90 minutes before the game, replaced Kostitsyn.

Carey Price was the No. 1 star in the Canadiens' 2-1 win in Tampa last night but coach Jacques Martin has decided to go with Jaroslav Halak in goal. 

That's the only lineup change for the Canadiens which means that Georges Laraque and Max Pacioretty are healthy scratches. With a 5 p.m. start today, there was no morning skate and the players were able to grab some pool and beach time. The temperature hit 31 C today.