All Habs GameDay: Monday March 12, 2012
On this day in hockey history… 1967 – During a 2-2 tie between Montreal and New York, Canadiens’ goalie Gump Worsley was injured when hit on the head by an egg tossed from the crowd. He was replaced in goal by rookie Rogie Vachon.
GAMEDAY: Habs hockey tonight!
MONTREAL CANADIENS (27-32-10) vs. BUFFALO SABRES (32-29-8)
Last 10: Buffalo 7-2-1 ; Montreal 3-7-0
First Niagara Center, 7:00 p.m. EST
TV: RDS, TSN, MSG-B
Projected line combinations (updated following morning skate)
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Forwards
Max Pacioretty – Tomas Plekanec – Erik Cole
Rene Bourque – Lars Eller – Ryan White
Blake Geoffrion – Scott Gomez – Louis Leblanc
Brad Staubitz – – Aaron Palushaj
Defenseman
Josh Gorges – P.K. Subban
Alexei Emelin – Andrei Markov
Yannick Weber – Tomas Kaberle
Chris Campoli
Goaltenders
Carey Price – Peter Budaj (confirmed)
Scratches
Petteri Nokelainen
Injuries
Mike Blunden (knee) – Brian Gionta (biceps) – Travis Moen (upper body) – Mathieu Darche (dizziness/upper body) – Raphael Diaz (lower body) – David Desharnais (lower body)
Power-play
Pacioretty – Plekanec – Cole – Markov – Subban
Bourque – Eller – Gomez – Weber – Kaberle
BUFFALO SABRES
Forwards
Ville Leino – Cody Hodgson – Jason Pominville
Marcus Foligno – Tyler Ennis – Drew Stafford
Nathan Gerbe – Derek Roy – Brad Boyes
Patrick Kaleta – Matt Ellis – Corey Tropp
Defensemen
Christian Ehrhoff – Alexander Sulzer
Jordan Leopold – Tyler Myers
Mike Weber – Robyn Regehr
Goaltenders
Ryan Miller (confirmed) – Jhonas Enroth
Scratches
Injuries
Andrej Sekera (flu) – Thomas Vanek (upper body) – Matt Ellis – Jochen Hecht
GAMEDAY: All Habs Headlines
► Markov makes immediate impact: How many minutes would he play? Would his knee hold up? Would he be rusty? Would he get a chance to play the power-play? Those were the questions prior to the Canadiens game in Vancouver on Saturday night as Andrei Markov made his long-awaited return. And all of the questions were answered.
Yes he looked rusty at times, and his inability to adjust to the speed of the game resulted in the only Vancouver goal. But his knee was fine, he played a surprising 17:09 and even notched an assist as he set-up P.K. Subban for a power-play goal.
How did Markov describe his first game back?
“It was awesome. We just beat one of the strongest teams in the league,” said Markov post-game.
Goaltender Carey Price described his presence in the line-up this way, “”He’s a first-class player and he moves the puck so well. When we’re breaking the puck out, he just has the confidence with it, and it makes a big difference. He’s a big boost for us and he’s pretty irreplaceable.”
► Get to a Hockey Party! If you haven’t yet been to an All Habs Hockey Party, you’ll have your next chance on March 24th in Montreal. It’s All Habs Night at McLean’s Pub on Peel Street! Hockey fans who RSVP via the All Habs link will be given VIP access: prime seating and a reduced-price menu. Join the All Habs crew to watch the Canadiens take on the Flyers.
You’ll have great food and drink, a lot of laughs, and a whole lot of fun as you meet new friends and cheer your team to victory. Test your team knowledge during the All Habs Trivia Challenge for a chance to win prizes, too!
Still a little reluctant? Here’s what Emily, a first-time attendee said after coming out on February 11th, “I was a little hesitant to go at first because I figured everyone would already know each other and I would be the odd one out. But that wasn’t the case, I was welcomed with open arms!”
Read more: All Habs Hockey Party in Montreal: Habs vs. Leafs
► A first class team: Moving can be exciting but it is always a stressful experience. A few weeks ago we relocated the All Habs war room to a shiny new location. Packing on trade deadline day was interesting but fortunately Pierre Gauthier cooperated with a less-than-expected number of transactions.
On the day itself, I was greeted by three professionals from Westmount Moving who are indeed at the top of their game. Daniel, Allen and Thomas (“Punch”) were polite, personable, careful and just three of the nicest fellows with which I’ve had the pleasure spending a day. They offered sound advice and were full of good humour to reduce the stress of a chaotic day.
Jennifer’s title should be moving consultant extraordinaire. She paid attention to every detail, even remembering things I didn’t and was very accommodating when changes occurred to the initial plan. Jennifer even dropped by mid-day to bring the team hot chocolate.
I know what you’re thinking. This is one of those paid endorsements. Not at all. I am simply expressing my gratitude for a job well done, and recognizing superb customer service.
Sincere thanks to the crew at Westmount!
► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine:
NHL Entry Draft: A Game of Russian Roulette
Sneak Peek of Price’s New Mask vs Canucks
Christmas in July: Radek Faksa
Habs Love from Across the Pond
Y a-t-il quelqu’un dans la place?
Pour un jeu plus ouvert… et autres réflexions éparpillées
► Puck’s take: Need to know who will win tonight? You can find Puck the Bunny’s prediction here. His record is an impressive 20-10-5.
► Beaulieu interview:
Watch this video interview of Canadiens prospect Nathan Beaulieu courtesy of the QMJHL
(AP Photo/David Duprey)