All Habs GameDay: Thursday January 24, 2013

On this day in hockey history… 1980: Steve Shutt’s five-point night with four goals and one assist led the Canadiens past the Hartford Whalers for a 7-2 win. Guy Lafleur had a goal and three helpers.  

GAMEDAY: Can the Habs hand the Capitals their third loss in a row?

Washington Capitals (0-2-0)	vs.	Montreal Canadiens (1-1-0)
	Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. 7:00 p.m. EST TV: RDS, TSN-HABS

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Projected line combinations (updated following morning skate)

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Forwards

Max Pacioretty – David Desharnais – Erik Cole
Rene Bourque – Tomas Plekanec – Brian Gionta
Brandon Prust – Alex Galchenyuk  –  Brendan Gallagher
Travis Moen – Ryan White – Colby Armstrong

Defensemen

Andrei Markov – Alexei Emelin
Josh Georges – Raphael Diaz
Francis Bouillon – Tomas Kaberle

Scratches

Lars Eller, Yannick Weber, Petteri Nokelainen (back)

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Forwards

Wojtek Wolski – Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom
Matt Hendricks – Mike Ribeiro – Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera – Jay Beagle – Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson – Mathieu Perreault – Joey Crabb

Defensemen

Karl Alzner – John Carlson
Tom Poti – Mike Green
Roman Hamrlik – Tomas Kundratek

Scratches

Brooks Laich (groin), Jack Hillen (upper body)

PROJECTED GOALTENDERS

Michal Neuvirth (Confirmed)	vs.	Carey Price (Confirmed)
First start of the season for Neuvirth. Holtby has given up 10 goals in 2 games.		In two games this season, Price has stopped 51 of 54 shots and has been perfect at even strength.

(updated following morning skate)

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GAMEDAY: All Habs Headlines

► Team toughness: 

• Michel Therrien was not only happy with Tuesday’s win against the Panthers but also the way his team played. Therrien said, “We want to take pride in being a team that’s tough to play against, and that doesn’t only mean by hitting people, but also how we execute the system we’re trying to put in place.”

► Lineup notes:

• The Canadiens will ice the same lineup that was a winner against Florida. That means that Lars Eller will sit for a second straight game.
• Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth will get his first start of the season with Braden Holtby having lost his first two starts.

► Subban update:

• TSN’s Bob McKenzie caused a stir when he said that the P.K. Subban – Mark Bergevin standoff will likely end in a trade. The two parties remain very far apart.  Former Canadiens player and coach Guy Carbonneau added fuel to the fire when he reported that player agent Don Meehan has advised Subban to accept a two-year deal. Carbonneau went on to say that Subban refuses to accept the advice of his agent.

► Injury news:

• According to Drummondville’s Journal L’Express, Montreal Canadiens prospect Olivier Archambault injured himself in this past Tuesday night’s game against the expansion Sherbrooke Phoenix, a game that saw the home Voltigeurs fall behind 5-0 only to claw their way back, force overtime, and eventually fall in the shootout, 6-5. Archambault was unable to finish the game and has not participated in recent practices with his teammates. He will not be able to accompany the Voltigeurs as they take on Baie-Comeau, Rimouski and Gatineau in a 3-in-3 weekend where the first two games will take place at the Centre Marcel Dionne, and the latter one will be on the road.
• The injury is said to be in the groin area and should keep the forward out for one to two weeks. He has not missed any games since last season, when he missed seven weeks of play due to a concussion.

► Habs Tickets:

• With games against the New Jersey Devils and the Winnipeg Jets upcoming, click the link to find the best selection of Montreal Canadiens tickets.

► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine and Hockey Pub:

• Puck the Bunny Predicts: Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals [VIDEO]
• Scott Gomez se trouve du boulot
• La renaissance de Rene Bourque?
• Panthers vs Canadiens: Chasing Wishes and Dreams
• Habs Consegue Sua Primeira Vitória
• Up Close with Brandy Saturley: Red, White and Dryden
• Prendre le Flambeau: Collberg embraye
• The Good, the Bad and the Season Opener
• Up Close with Josh Gorges: A Respected, Dedicated Leader
• P.K. Subban ne mérite pas moins de 4 millions
• Catching the Torch: Collberg is Clutch
• Carey Price is Groin to be Alright
• Help Publish: Montreal Canadiens – Stanley Cup Champions

► Puck’s take:

• Need to know who will win tonight? Click the link to watch Puck the Bunny’s prediction.

(Feature Photo: John Morstad)