Montreal Game-Day News & Notes – 03/03/07

The Montreal Canadiens play their second game in 24 hours tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden against the Boston Bruins. Despite outshooting their opponents, and scoring 5 goals, The Habs managed to drop the ball against an injury plagued Sabres roster last night and are now 1 point out of playoff contention.

The good news for the Canadiens is that a win tonight could propel the team into 7th position in the Eastern Conference, provided the New York Islanders lose their game vs. Washington. Time is quickly running out for the struggling Canadiens, and without a consistent effort, many question the outcome of the season for this club.

Sophomore Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec recognizes the need for the team to play a full 60 minutes. “We needed a good start, but 2 minutes into the game we're down by two goals. You can't win a game like that, especially here,” Plekanec said, referring to The Sabres’ explosive start to last night’s game.
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RDS.ca reports that Canadiens defenseman Francis Boullion will be a healthy scratch tonight. A furious Boullion refused to speak with the media following the announcement.

Boullion has struggled this season following a serious knee injury that saw him miss the beginning of the season. Defenseman Marc Streit will return to his natural position after an impressive game as a forward in Buffalo. Defenseman Josh Gorges is expected to play as well, after a satisfactory performance last night in his first ever game with his new team since being dealt from San Jose.

The Canadiens can also expect to see forward Chris Higgins return to the lineup after a bout with the flu. Forward Alexander Perezhogin remains day-to-day after being injured in practice.

Rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak will be given the start, after David Aebischer’s poor outing last night. Halak had an explosive start to his NHL career, winning 3 straight games before dropping his next 2 starts. Halak has been splitting time with Aebischer after all-star goaltender Cristobal Huet suffered a hamstring injury.
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Montreal last faced The Bruins on December 23rd 2006; a lackluster 4-2 loss that many fans deem the beginning of The Habs’ struggles this season. Perhaps a win tonight will finally bring an end to the slump that has seen Montreal fall from 2nd in the East to outside the playoffs.

Montreal is 2-2-0 vs. Boston this season.