All Habs GameDay: Saturday February 2, 2013
On this day in hockey history… 1994 – Defenseman Lyle Odelein tied a club record for assists in a game by a defenseman, with five as the Canadiens won 9-2 over the visiting Hartford Whalers. Hall of Famer Doug Harvey had five assists on Feb 19,1955.
2012 – Sam Gagner scored 8 points (4 goal and 4 assists) as Edmonton Oilers beat Chicago Blackhawks 8-4. In doing so Gagner equalled the Oilers’ team record held by Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
GAMEDAY: Stop Thomas Vanek.
| Buffalo Sabres (3-3-1) |
vs. | Montreal Canadiens (4-2-0) |
 |
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC. 2:00 p.m. EST TV: CBC, RDS |
 |
Projected line combinations (updated – no game day skate for Habs today)
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Forwards
Lars Eller – 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
P.K. Subban – Francis Bouillon
Tomas Kaberle
Scratches
Yannick Weber, Petteri Nokelainen (back), Max Pacioretty (appendectomy)
BUFFALO SABRES
Forwards
Thomas Vanek – Cody Hodgson – Jason Pominville
Steve Ott – Tyler Ennis – Drew Stafford
Marcus Foligno – Mikhail Grigorenko – Jochen Hecht
John Scott – Matt Ellis – Patrick Kaleta
Defensemen
Robyn Regehr – Tyler Myers
Christian Ehrhoff – Alexander Sulzer
Jordan Leopold – Andrej Sekera
Scratches
Nathan Gerbe, Cody McCormick, TJ Brennan, Mike Weber, Ville Leino (IR),
PROJECTED GOALTENDERS
| Ryan Miller (Unconfirmed) | vs. |
Carey Price (Confirmed) |
 |
 |
|
| Miller is 3-2-1 with a GAA of 2.64 and a Sv% of .920 per cent. | Carey Price is riding a four game winning streak and has top-ten stats in GAA (1.98) and Sv% (.924 per cent). |
(updated)
GAMEDAY: All Habs Headlines
► Subban back in the lineup:
- P.K. Subban is back in the lineup and it appears he will play his first game of the season along side Francis Bouillon. How exactly he will be used on the power play is still unclear with Andrei Markov and Raphael Diaz playing so well together.
► The Triple-Low-Five is just a celebration that we used to know:
- In a move that upset some fans, Michel Therrien announced that we would no longer be seeing the “Triple-Low-Five” celebration that P.K. Subban and Carey Price would do following every Canadiens’ win. A more humble team celebration greeting fans at centre-ice appears to be what he expects out of his players.
► Patch-me-up-ioretty:
- Eager to get back on the ice since undergoing an emergency appendectomy last weekend, Max Pacioretty had his first full practice with the team this Friday, which is quite remarkable considering the circumstances.
“I want to get back on the ice as soon as possible and the doctors kind of put it in my hands,” said Pacioretty. “I can’t make it worse, so I guess I’m going to go out there and push it as hard as I can so when I can play, I can be ready.”
► Vanek on fire:
- Thomas Vanek is on fire as he currently leads the league with 15 points, including two five point games, the last one happening in his very last game against the Boston Bruins, picking up three goals for the hat-trick and a couple of assists.
► Scoring Leaders:
- Sabres:
Thomas Vanek: 6G, 9A
Jason Pominville: 5G, 7A
Cody Hodgson: 4G, 2A
- Canadiens:
Raphael Diaz: 8A
Andrei Markov: 4G, 4A
Alex Galchenyuk: 1G, 4A
Tomas Plekanec: 4G, 1A
► Game Preview:
- For matchup keys and fantasy impact see our Sabres – Canadiens game preview.
► Puck’s take:
- Need to know who will win tonight? Click the link to watch Puck the Bunny’s prediction.
► Habs Tickets:
- With games against the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres upcoming, click the link to find the best selection of Montreal Canadiens tickets.
► New at All Habs Hockey Magazine and Hockey Pub:
- Who’s in the Dog House Now, Michel?
- All Habs Headlines: Subban, Pacioretty, Dietz, Kristo
- All Habs Mailbag: Subban, Pacioretty, Markov, Diaz, Special Teams, Bulldogs
- End of Lockout not a Cure-All for Bulldogs
- State of the Habs, Part 1 – Games 1-4: The Boys are Back in Town
- Digital Voices: Social Media, Hockey Reporting, and the Fans
- Catching the Torch: Hudon Strikes
- All Habs Rewind: Pass the Torch, Markov, Galchenyuk [VIDEO]
- Diaz, Markov et l’avantage numérique
(Feature Photo: John Morstad)