Two words: Bragging Rights

Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs will finish ahead of the Montreal Canadiens, but after tonight they are essentially both on the same page, done for the season and will await the results of Tuesday's Draft Lottery.

What does remain is pride for Habs fans. A regulation win tonight, and the Canadiens can take the season series against Toronto with a 3-2-1 record, the Leafs, and their fans, looking from there end would be 3-3. It would be a small victory for the Habs, in a season that has been a SNAFU from day one.

The ones to watch in the Blue and White are ex-Hab Mikhail Grabovski, who has 10 percent of his season point total (50) against the Canadiens, and captain Dion Phaneuf. Despite the calls to run him out of town by many Toronto fans and media, Phaneuf too has five points against Montreal.

Grabovski is questionable, along with goalie Jonas Gustavsson for tonight's game. Both have lower body injuries.

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The Montreal Canadiens close out their road season tonight, as they visit Kirk Muller's Carolina Hurricanes.

Kirk Muller, remember him? Stanley Cup winner with the Habs, later named captain, traded, returned as assistant coach, then left again as a shot as a head coach wasn't going to pan out in Montreal?

Well since getting the call from the Hurricanes earlier this season, Muller has racked up a 24-19-12 record (60 points). It's a small sample that projected out works out to 88 points, but given the record the Canadiens had with their interim coach, one has to wonder. It will be interesting to see Captain Kirk with full season under his belt next year.

"You’re always being judged every day in this business," Muller said following Carolina's 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. "It’s the way you play the game. What I want to see is guys fight through this and have pride and finish up the right way so we can feel good about a lot things with where we're at.

The Hurricanes have been playing strong, despite out of a playoff spot, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last two home games however, and with tonight's game being their last at home, they'll want to give their fans something positive to close out the season.

Eric Staal continues to lead his team in scoring, albeit a tad off his pace from last season (insert Erik Cole comment here). Nonetheless, the Hurricanes captain is 21st in the league in scoring, headed into tonight's game, and has three points in three meetings with the Habs.

P.K. Subban leads the Canadiens in scoring against Carolina this season, with a goal and three assists. Tomas Plekanec and David Desharnais each have three points. Erik Cole has seven points in his last six games on the season.

Cam Ward is expected to get the start in goal for Carolina.

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The Montreal Canadiens kicked off the day by announcing officially that Carey Price is done for the year with a 'mild' concussion as diagnosed by Dr. Mulder, which means Peter Budaj will be the man between the pipes tonight and possibly all three remaining games.

However the Canadiens kick off a back to back tonight against teams that hired two former coaches from within the organization, and the back to back includes travel, so there's a slight chance that recently called up Robert Mayer may get the start tomorrow in Carolina.

Mayer has begun to make a bit of progress in the AHL, putting up a .916 save percentage since the end of November and a .916 save percentage the last month while he took over starting duties from Nathan Lawson.

Budaj get's the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight however. Budaj has recorded a .923 save percentage in his last 3 games but his team hasn't been able to eek out a win for him.

According to Renaud Lavoie, Ryan White may also be suffering from a concussion after his fight with Erik Gudbranson. I said at the time of the fight that White needs to learn to pick his battles, hopefully he does so in the future because he's a solid depth player.

Pint sized pest Gabriel Dumont has been called up to take White's lineup spot after Petteri Nokelainen also went down with injury last game. Dumont acquitted himself well in training camp this year but has struggled to produce in the AHL with just 22 points in 55 games and a -14 rating.

Somehow J.T. Wyman is the leading scorer for the Lightning against the Canadiens with 3 points and a +3 rating in 2 games, while David Desharnais has been the player to hound the Lightning with 4 points in 3 games.

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The Washington Capitals are getting good news at just the right time. Clinging on to the eight seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Caps announced this morning that Nicklas Backstrom will be back in the lineup tonight as they face the Montreal Canadiens.

Backstrom has not seen action since a game against the Calgary Flames on January 3, when he took an elbow to the head from current Habs forward Rene Bourque. From this morning's skate, the Capitals center will be on the top line with Alexander Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson.

The big benefit should be Washington's power play, which has struggled of late, going at a 14.7 percent rate in the 40 games Backstrom has missed. Thirty-five of Backstrom's 100 career NHL goals have come with the man advantage. The have won just 18 games since their number one center went down.

Backstrom has 14 points in 15 career games against the Canadiens, but, as you will see below, the Capitals haven't needed his services against the Habs this season.

Interesting fact from NHL.com: Since being ousted in the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Capitals are 6-0-1 against Montreal with four shutouts from four different goalies.

The Canadiens would hopefully like to light the lamp a bit more in their final game with Washington. They've managed just a single goal, in the first three meetings this season, despite outshooting their opponent 92-63.

They Habs were defeated by the conference-leading New York Rangers 4-1 on Friday night. They were held to just 20 shots on goal and despite some decent Corsi/Fenwick numbers, only had nine scoring chances.

Peter Budaj gets the call in goal for Montreal. MIchal Neuvirth goes for the Caps.

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There haven't been many teams that the Montreal Canadiens have dominated this season. The Ottawa Senators are one, and the surprising other is the New York Rangers who sit atop the Eastern Conference. After a brutally officiated first period in the first meeting between the two teams, the Canadiens have outscored the Rangers 11-3 (11-2 if you don't count empty netters).

Unfortunately for the Canadiens however three players who were dominant in the season series are injured or traded; Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri were all point per game players or better against the Rangers.

Fortunately the Canadiens' top 3 scorers in the season series are still playing in Max Pacioretty, Erik Cole, and Tomas Plekanec.

This years' Rangers are basically the exact opposite of this years' Montreal Canadiens. After a brutal start in terms of possession where they got absurdly lucky and won like crazy, the Rangers slowly got better and better.

It's pretty depressing to see the Rangers have a whopping 20 more wins that the Habs, but hopefully it'll be a good tilt!

Ryan White is a late scratch with the flu.

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It's certainly not a good time for the Florida Panthers to be on a losing streak. The cats have lost three straight games and, if they are not careful, could find themselves quickly falling from third place in the Eastern Conference to ninth and an abrupt end to their season.

The current Southeast Division leaders are 25th in five-on-five goals F/A, and have a 24th ranked penalty kill. Their power play is a respectable 11th in the league, but overall they're not exactly screaming Stanley Cup contender.

The Panthers did salvage single points, in a pair of shootout losses to the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers, over the weekend, giving them a three point lead over the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres. But against bottom feeder teams this late in the season, those missed points could come back bite the Panthers.

Fortunately for them, they've managed to beat the Canadiens in all three meetings this season but don't be surprised to see the Habs wanting to play spoiler.

"We still want to win hockey games," said Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworh, following Monday's practice. "Regardless of where guys are, the end result remains that we still want the 'W.'"

Jose Theodore is 4-1-2 with a 1.66 goals-against average in his last seven starts, but got shelled in his only Bell Centre appearance as a non-Hab. Scott Clemmensen is 5-0-0 (1.65 GAA, .942 SvPct) in his career against Montreal.

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The final meeting from the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators takes place on a rare Friday home game for the Habs.

The Senators have lost four of their last five, but picked up single points in two non-regulation losses (one to the Canadiens). They are grasping to their seventh place spot in the Eastern Conference, but still could catch the division leading Boston Bruins.

Colin Greening has three goals in his last four games for the Senators, while "Mr. Norris" Erik Karlsson has five points in his last five games. Karlsson and Jason Spezza have both picked up four points in the five games against Montreal this season.

Spezza has been battling the flu, but is feeling "a little bit better" and will take to the ice tonight. Craig Anderson gets the call in goal tonight. It will be Anderson's first start in goal, after missing over a month with a deep cut in his hand.

The Canadiens hold a 3-0-2 edge in the season series. Josh Gorges was the First Star in their last meeting, blocking ten shots in a penalty infested match just last Saturday.

Carey Price has played in all five meetings with Ottawa this season, and gets the call again tonight.

Pop Quiz: How many players have played for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, current edition? Bonus if you know how many played for both the Habs and the old school (1917-34) Sens?

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The Montreal Canadiens, after a few days away from game action, play three games in the next four nights, starting with a visit to the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres have scored three goals in each of their five meetings against the Canadiens this season. Four times it was good enough for a win. Montreal, averaging 2.55 goals a game, had to take it to a shootout to pull out their lone win against their division rival.

The Sabres are 6-2-2 in their last ten games, coming off a 7-3 dismantling of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. They are still on the outside looking in at an Eastern Conference playoff spot. It won't be the easiest journey to the post-season, with a tough schedule up ahead.

To make it, a full two-point win is an absolute must for them. "I need difference-makers right now," coach Lindy Ruff said. "I don’t need to hear about great chances or missed (scoring) opportunities. Missed opportunities will put us in a bad place."

Marcus Foligno, Drew Stafford, and Tyler Ennis have a combined 11 goals and 25 points in the last five games for the Sabres. Ennis has nine points, converting a point in each of those five games.

Tyler Myers will be eligible to return to action tonight, following his three-game suspension for his hit on Scott Gomez, last Monday.

The media attempted to stir up a revenge mentality following the Canadiens Tuesday practice. Habs coach Randy Cunneyworth dismissed that, citing he feels Myers paid his dues and took responsibility for his actions.

Myers is on the same page, focused on what is needed for the team. "I'm going to approach it like any other game," he said. "It's in the past. I didn't mean to hurt him. It's not my intention to go in and kill a guy like that. Whatever happens, happens. I'm just going to focus on two points."

Nathan Gerbe (upper body) and Matt Ellis (knee) remain out for the Sabres. Tomas Kaberle (upper body) is still out for the Habs, as are Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Raphael Diaz and Mathieu Darche.

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The coveted 15th place spot in the Eastern Conference is up for grabs tonight as the New York Islanders come to Montreal to face the now streaking Canadiens. Yes folks, the Canadiens are on a hot streak of sorts, or as much of a one as can be imagined for a lottery team. The team is 3-0-2 in it's last 5 games, taking 8 of a possible 10 points.

This Islanders meanwhile have seemingly hit a wall, going 2-5-3 in their past 10 games and lost 5 straight, plummeting them to 15th in the conference. Their record now matches their goal differential, which is a conference worst -48. If the Canadiens win tonight it may all but assure that the Isles "win" the 3rd pick in the draft lottery as tonight is the first game of a 5 game road trip that could bury the team.

It's been a high scoring season series between these two teams, with Montreal winning the last two games by a combined score of 9-5. Max Pacioretty has done the most scoring with 4 goals and an assist in 3 games.

Odd Fact: Six of the nine Habs players to score against the Islanders this season are either injured or no longer with the team.

Carey Price is 2-0-0 with a .923 SVP and 2.50 GAA against the Islanders this season but Peter Budaj is likely to get the start after Price played in Ottawa last night.

Judging by the offensive effort, or lack there of, the team should be fresh tonight, but after playing 15:27 shorthanded last night, many Habs are likely exhausted.

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Two nights after the Montreal Canadiens handed the Ottawa Senators their 3rd loss in the 4 games played so far in the season series in Montreal, the Habs visit the Sens in Ottawa for a rematch.

The last game featured brilliant goaltending from Carey Price and Ben Bishop. Price got the last laugh on Wednesday as he was the first goaltender to stop Daniel Alfredsson in a shootout this season. Both goalies get the start in tonight's rematch.

Erik Karlsson has lit the league on fire in recent weeks but has struggled against the Habs this season with just 2 points and a whopping -7 rating.

The big scorers in the season series have been Erik Cole for Montreal with 3 goals and 1 assists in 4 games, and Jason Spezza for Ottawa with 2 goals and 2 assists.

Montreal's recent winning ways have threatened their lottery position in the impressively bad Eastern Conference. The New York Islanders have already taken over the coveted 28th overall spot, and a win tonight for the Habs would put them into a tie for 26th with the Carolina Hurricanes, just one point behind the collapsing Toronto Maple Leafs for the final lottery position.

Andrei Markov is being held out of tonight's game due to a surprise upper body injury, but many suspect that the organization is just being cautious with back to back games since Markov is still fresh off of a near 2 year absence.

Blake Geoffrion is a late scratch to make way for superstar Mike Blunden.

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