• NHL 3-stars: 1. Jiri Sekac 2. Matt Duchene 3. Dustin Tokarski. Habs beat Avalanche 3-2. Winning goal by Brandon Prust.
• Coach Michel Therrien gave his rookies a chance to prove why they should crack the roster this year against a mostly opening day lineup for the Avalanche.  The young players embraced the challenge.
• Erik Johnson lit the lamp first, on a power play goal, putting the Avalanche up 1-0 with just over two minutes to play in the first period.
• In the second period, Sven Andrighetto scored his first goal of the preseason tying the game at one.
• Early in the third, Ryan O’Reilly beat Dustin Tokarski giving Colorado the lead and their second power play goal of the game.
• Jiri Sekac continues to impress and made a wraparound to even the score!
• With five and a half minutes to go, Brandon Prust gave the Habs a 3-2 lead, which ended up being the game-winning goal!
• Dustin Tokarski played the full game with Joey MacDonald being the backup.
• It was more than a little odd that Francis Bouillon, attending training camp on a tryoput contract, wore the “A” for the Canadiens.

Merci Quebec City! Great to play where it began for our franchise. @Max25talbot and I pregame with Nords lids pic.twitter.com/fXERYQi33q

— Matt Duchene (@Matt9Duchene) September 27, 2014

► Update on injured players

• Lars Eller was back at practice with the team for the first time after sustaining his lower-body injury.
• Michael McCarron is back in London, Ontario where he will begin his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury that will keep him out at least six weeks.

Thanks for a great camp @CanadiensMTL goin out with a bang! #HABS

— Michael McCarron (@MacAttackUSA93) September 26, 2014

► Bozon an amazing battle

• Twenty year-old, Tim Bozon, played his first NHL game on Friday evening for the Canadiens. It’s an inspiring story given that in March of this year, he was fighting for his life, not a spot on the Canadiens roster.
• On March 1^st, he was admitted to the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon where he was diagnosed with Neisseria meningitis. He was not released from the hospital until four months later, and spent some of his stay in a medically induced coma. He has made a full recovery and is a perfect example of how one can accomplish anything one sets their mind to.
• Bozon spoke to the media prior to Friday’s game, “I’m extremely happy and proud. It’s another step in my I think about my family and everything I’ve accomplished over the last five months. To wear the Canadiens uniform for the first time is an honor. I hope I can produce offensively and see how I stack up to NHL competition. I’m an offensive player and that’s what the Canadiens are expecting from me, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I’m going to go out and have fun with my teammates. I’ve always believed, but I also need to be realistic; I’m coming back from a lot. I told myself that when I’d get the chance to play in a game again, it would be a gift, and tonight it’s finally happening.”

Almost seven months ago @timbozon94 was fighting for his life.. Tonight he'll play a NHL game ! good luck #habs #hockey #inspiration

— Kévin Bozon (@kevboz12) September 26, 2014

► Briere faced his old team

• Danny Briere dressed to face his former team, the Montreal Canadiens, for the first time Friday night. The veteran has much respect around the league and is known as “Mr. Playoffs.” He however was not a piece of Bergevin’s puzzle this season and was traded to the Avalanche on June 30^th for P.A. Parenteu and a 5^th round draft pick. The thirty-six year-old has nothing but good things to say about his time in Montreal.

► Former Canadien to miss 5 months

• Ryan White played five seasons with the Canadiens, but was left to free agency this summer. The Philadelphia Flyers signed him to a one-year two-way contract.
• The twenty-six year old underwent surgery in August to repair a tear in his left pectoralis muscle which he had injured during an off ice workout.
• Flyers general manager, Ron Hextall, announced on Friday that White will be out for approximately five months to allow his muscle to heal completely.

► Goalie market

• With the Vancouver Canucks placing Jacob Markstrom we are provided a hint about NHL demand for goaltenders. Pierre McGuire reported that there are four teams with “significant interest” in Markstrom.
• This is relevant to the Canadiens situation suggesting that there is very good chance that Dustin Tokarski would be claimed on waivers if sent to Hamilton.

► Uncomfortable Bruins supporter

• When speaking to TSN 690 radio, Karl Subban, father of P.K., admitted that it was “weird” when his son Malcolm was drafted by the Boston Bruins. Karl is a long-standing Canadiens fan.

► Markov with mad skill

• Newly acquired Tom Gilbert is very impressed with his defensive partner Andrei Markov saying that his puck movement is particularly remarkable, “All these kids coming in now are so fast but the fastest thing is the puck. That’s what he does so well.”
• The two seem to be getting along well according to Gilbert.

https://twitter.com/RickMoffat/status/515545494450601985

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