GameDay: Habs vs Capitals Lineups, Damien’s Warning

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All Habs GameDay: Saturday March 31, 2012

On this day in hockey history 1927 – Montreal’s Howie Morenz scored at 12:05 of overtime as the Canadiens beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0, in the first all-NHL Stanley Cup Playoff overtime game ever played.

GAMEDAY: Habs hockey tonight!

MONTREAL CANADIENS (29-35-14) vs. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (39-31-8)

Last 10: Washington 5-3-2 ; Montreal 3-3-4

Verizonl Center,  7:00 p.m. EST

TV: RDS, CBC, CSN-MA


Projected line combinations (updated following morning skate)

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Forwards
Max Pacioretty – David Desharnais – Erik Cole
Rene Bourque – Tomas Plekanec – Louis Leblanc
Mike Blunden – Lars Eller – Blake Geoffrion
Brad Staubitz – Petteri Nokelainen – Aaron Palushaj

Defenseman
Josh Gorges – P.K. Subban
Andrei Markov – Alexei Emelin
Frederic St. Denis – Chris Campoli

Goaltenders
Carey Price  – Peter Budaj (confirmed)

Scratches

Injuries

Brian Gionta (biceps) – Travis Moen (upper body) – Mathieu Darche (dizziness/upper body) – Raphael Diaz (lower body) – Scott Gomez (concussion) –  Tomas Kaberle (upper body) – Yannick Weber (lower body) – Ryan White (flu)

Power-play
Pacioretty – Desharnais – Cole – Markov – Subban
Bourque – Plekanec – Leblanc – St. Denis – Campoli

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Forwards
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom (GTD) – Marcus Johansson
Jason Chimera – Mathieu Perreault – Alexander Semin
Keith Aucoin – Brooks Laich – Troy Brouwer
Matt Hendricks – Jay Beagle – Mike Knuble

Defensemen
Karl Alzner – Dennis Wideman
Roman Hamrlik – Mike Green
John Carlson – Dmitry Orlov

Goaltenders
Michal Neuvirth (confirmed) – Braden Holtby

Scratches

Injuries
Niklas Backstrom (concussion) – Tom Poti (groin) – Tomas Vokoun (lower body) – John Erskine (lower body)

GAMEDAY: All Habs Headlines

Cox predicts Habs demise : It is somewhat amusing when Toronto-based media try to comment on hockey in Montreal while isolated in Hogtown.  Damien Cox takes that “view from a bubble” to a whole new level. Writing that the glory days for the Canadiens are gone, “likely for good” earns him a Captain Obvious award — no single team can ever again dominate the NHL the way the Habs did in the 1950’s and ’70’s.

Cox takes pains to compare the situations in Montreal and Toronto — who will turn the ship around sooner?

“We can argue whether the Leafs have progressed or regressed under Burke’s watch. It is however, indisputable that the Habs went backwards after Gauthier replaced Bob Gainey at the top of the Montreal hockey pyramid, taking a team that enthralled the nation with a run to the 2010 final four, first to an opening-round playoff ouster, then to last place in the conference. Burke inherited a non-playoff team, blew it apart, and it remains a non-playoff team. Gauthier, on the other hand, inherited a conference finalist.” — Damien Cox

Read more: Montreal Canadiens’ glory days are gone, likely for good

► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine:

Christmas in June: Filip Forsberg

Canadiens GM: The Short List

My Habs Season — It’s Come Full Circle

Price, Theodore: Welcome to the Goalie Fraternity

Que faire de Scott Gomez?

How to Get Your Team to Win the Stanley Cup

Habs Newly-Found Toughness

CH: Breve analyse

Caption This: Max Pacioretty

 

► Puck’s take: Need to know who will win tonight? Puck the Bunny will be back next game.  His record is an impressive 22-11-6.

(Feature photo by REUTERS/Gary Cameron)